Moody National Bank Trust Division Sells 2,678 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Moody National Bank Trust Division decreased its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,353 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 2,678 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up 2.1% of Moody National Bank Trust Division’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $28,903,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hedeker Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Hedeker Wealth LLC now owns 55,236 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $20,604,000 after purchasing an additional 3,546 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 229,490 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $85,604,000 after purchasing an additional 8,773 shares during the last quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth $3,652,000. Dearborn Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth $75,641,000. Finally, GTS Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 44.6% during the second quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 271,597 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $101,311,000 after buying an additional 83,734 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $530.61 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $516.65 and a 200-day moving average of $440.18. The company has a market cap of $3.94 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $349.20 and a 52 week high of $559.15.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $92.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 41.17% and a return on equity of 31.28%. Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.13 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s payout ratio is presently 19.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total transaction of $20,764,903.98. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,624 shares in the company, valued at $265,888,830.48. This trade represents a 7.24% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 135,504 shares of company stock worth $68,138,024 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s free-cash-flow position may offer some reassurance: an analysis notes that several other major AI hyperscalers are generating negative free cash flow, while Microsoft is generating positive cash flow. Is Microsoft Getting Enough Credit for Better Free Cash Flow Compared to its Peers?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say Microsoft plans to reduce the number of neocloud partners it uses, wind down rented AI capacity from Oracle, and declined a Texas data-center expansion with Nscale. This could help control costs and give Microsoft tighter oversight as it builds its own infrastructure, but the implications for capacity growth remain uncertain. Microsoft plans to use fewer neoclouds as AI buildout shows signs of strain
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may read the canceled or reduced AI-computing commitments as a sign that Microsoft is reassessing demand, project timing, or returns on its data-center spending. The shift comes as reports highlight construction delays and the rising cost of meeting a growing AI backlog, intensifying scrutiny of whether heavy investment will pay off. Microsoft is winding down Oracle deal to rent AI cloud capacity, Bloomberg News reports
• Negative Sentiment: Broader unease around AI spending and tech-market volatility may also weigh on MSFT, as investors question the scale of data-center investment relative to future cash returns. Microsoft and Oracle’s AI ambitions are suddenly a lot more expensive

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Microsoft from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded Microsoft from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $440.00 price objective on Microsoft in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Griffin Securities lowered Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Microsoft has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $609.54.

Microsoft Company Profile

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices, and digital solutions for consumers, businesses, and public-sector organizations. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the company is headquartered in Redmond, Washington.

Its products and services include the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 productivity applications, Azure cloud computing, LinkedIn, GitHub, Surface devices, and Xbox gaming products and services. Microsoft also provides business software, cybersecurity tools, and artificial intelligence technologies.

Microsoft serves customers around the world through its products, online platforms, and network of business partners.