Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Position Reduced by Argent Capital Management LLC

Argent Capital Management LLC lessened its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 373,057 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 15,829 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises 1.4% of Argent Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Argent Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $191,341,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hedeker Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 6.9% during the second 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 last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 4.0% in the second 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 period. D.B. Root & Company LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth $3,652,000. Dearborn Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth about $75,641,000. Finally, GTS Securities LLC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 83,734 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total value 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total transaction of $3,984,293.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 555,396 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $302,924,086.32. This trade represents a 1.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 135,504 shares of company stock valued at $68,138,024 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $600.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Mizuho increased their price target on Microsoft from $510.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, KeyCorp set a $625.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $609.54.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Microsoft stock opened at $530.61 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $559.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company’s 50-day moving average is $516.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $440.18. The company has a market cap of $3.94 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.69, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.05.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.17. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.28% and a net margin of 41.17%. The company had revenue of $92.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.13 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost 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 currently 19.00%.

Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft

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

Microsoft 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.