Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Sold by Strategic Advisors LLC

Strategic Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 13.7% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 59,037 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 9,396 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up about 4.1% of Strategic Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Strategic Advisors LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $22,022,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MSFT. Advocacy Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Advocacy Wealth Management LLC now owns 51,331 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $19,147,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. F&V Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $201,000. American Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $263,000. CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,178,000. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 94.6% during the second quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC now owns 5,287 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,972,000 after buying an additional 2,570 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 555,396 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $302,924,086.32. This trade represents a 1.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a 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, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. This trade represents a 9.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MSFT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays raised their price target on Microsoft from $512.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $700.00 to $725.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, October 5th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $636.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Forty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $592.15.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Azure and earnings expectations remain strong. Bank of America reaffirmed its Buy rating and forecast approximately 44.8% Azure growth. Analysts expect quarterly results to be broadly in line with estimates, with Azure strength potentially offsetting heavy investment in AI infrastructure. Microsoft Stock Forecast: BofA Reaffirms Buy Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s custom silicon and security businesses could support future cloud margins. The Maia AI accelerator and other internally developed chips may reduce reliance on Nvidia, improve cost control and retain more economics from Microsoft’s AI services. Investors are also watching whether security growth helps offset data-center expenses. Microsoft: Security And Silicon Set The Stage For Cloud Margin Recovery
• Positive Sentiment: Medical AI results add another potential growth opportunity. Microsoft’s MAI-DxO reportedly diagnosed complex cases more than twice as often as general physicians in a simulation, strengthening the company’s positioning in healthcare AI, although commercialization and regulatory hurdles remain. Microsoft develops AI tool that can diagnose sequentially like a doctor
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming report is a major near-term catalyst. Investors will focus on Azure growth, Copilot adoption, AI monetization, capital expenditures, backlog conversion and management’s outlook. The stock is trading near its yearly high, raising expectations for a strong forecast. Microsoft’s Earnings Problem: Even Great May Not Be Enough
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending and market conditions could pressure valuation and margins. Investors have recently sold some technology shares when companies raised infrastructure budgets, while a weaker overall market and higher oil prices have added volatility. Microsoft’s large data-center investment must translate into revenue growth to justify the spending. Microsoft Earnings Report To Focus On AI Momentum, Capex
• Negative Sentiment: Operational and product concerns remain. Microsoft withdrew from a U.K. data-center deal because of power-delivery delays, and Xbox cloud-streaming price changes have generated customer friction. Former CEO Bill Gates has also warned about AI safety risks, potentially increasing regulatory scrutiny. Microsoft pulls out of UK Nscale data centre deal over power delay

Microsoft Stock Performance

Microsoft stock opened at $524.51 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $349.20 and a fifty-two week high of $553.72. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $508.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $446.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.23. The stock has a market cap of $3.90 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.20, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.10.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The business’s revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.65 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is currently 20.27%.

Microsoft Company Profile

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.

The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.