Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. Buys 174,601 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. increased its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 39.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 613,956 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 174,601 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up 14.6% of Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $314,898,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Montgomery Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Frankly Finances LLC acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Microsoft in the second quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Fiduciary Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Microsoft by 37.4% in the second quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. now owns 125 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Northern Trust introduced an AI-powered client-onboarding agent running on Microsoft Azure, with Excel and SharePoint integration. The reported reductions in data-preparation time and strong data-quality results illustrate potential enterprise demand for Microsoft’s cloud and AI tools. Microsoft stock and Northern Trust AI agent
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft is reportedly becoming more selective about outside AI data-center and neocloud arrangements, including not renewing a cloud contract involving Oracle. Tighter spending could support cash flow, but changes to its infrastructure plans may also raise questions about capacity and execution. Microsoft AI data-center deals
• Negative Sentiment: AI investment remains a key risk: one report said Microsoft’s free cash flow over the last four quarters was about 23% below the prior-year period, amid rising infrastructure spending. A large reported backlog signals demand, but investors will look for that spending to translate into returns. Microsoft backlog, AI capex and neocloud ties
• Negative Sentiment: B&D White Capital, a fund with roughly $1.03 billion in assets, reported selling all its Microsoft shares in the third quarter. The filing is backward-looking and does not establish the fund’s reason for selling, but it may add to near-term sentiment concerns. B&D White Capital share sale

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on MSFT. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Microsoft from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Evercore raised shares of Microsoft from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Griffin Securities downgraded shares of Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, William Blair started coverage on Microsoft in a report on Monday, October 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $609.54.

Microsoft Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $545.18 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $349.20 and a twelve month high of $559.15. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $517.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $440.69.

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

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s payout ratio is currently 19.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value of $20,764,903.98. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 533,624 shares in the company, valued at $265,888,830.48. This trade represents a 7.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 135,504 shares of company stock valued at $68,138,024 in the last 90 days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Microsoft

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.