Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock: Professional Advisory Services Inc. Lowers Stake

Professional Advisory Services Inc. reduced its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 79,907 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 12,732 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises approximately 4.8% of Professional Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Professional Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $40,984,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. Box Hill Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Box Hill Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,272 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,593,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Winebrenner Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Winebrenner Capital Management LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $2,270,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,473 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $549,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC now owns 687 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $256,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mann Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Mann Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,921 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $717,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSFT has been the topic of several research reports. KeyCorp set a $625.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Microsoft from $725.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Melius Research raised Microsoft from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $665.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, October 5th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane downgraded Microsoft from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $609.54.

Microsoft Stock Down 2.2%

MSFT stock opened at $533.16 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $3.96 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.05. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $517.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $441.10. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $349.20 and a fifty-two week high of $559.15. 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 (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted 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. Microsoft had a net margin of 41.17% and a return on equity of 31.28%. The firm had revenue of $92.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.13 EPS. Microsoft’s revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.87 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders 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 dividend 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 19.00%.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $265,888,830.48. The trade was a 7.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $244,092,173.98. This trade represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 142,809 shares of company stock valued at $72,114,646. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft and IBM introduced Imagine Enterprise, a platform combining IBM’s library of more than 6,000 AI agents with Microsoft’s cloud, data and security tools. The partnership could help drive enterprise demand for Microsoft’s AI and cloud services. IBM and Microsoft Announce a New AI Agent Platform Designed for Industry-Specific Transformation
• Positive Sentiment: A five-year partnership with Ohio State University will apply Microsoft’s cloud and AI technology to healthcare, research and education, adding another potential customer and use case. Ohio State and Microsoft announce five-year strategic partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft reportedly urged the administration to drop a proposed ban on Chinese data-center technology, warning that restrictions could complicate data-center deployment. The outcome could affect equipment access and rollout timing. Microsoft presses Trump to scuttle expected ban on Chinese data-center technology
• Negative Sentiment: Anthropic unveiled workplace tools that could compete with Microsoft Office, including spreadsheet-related capabilities. The move raised concerns about competition in Microsoft’s enterprise software business. Anthropic unveils office suite to challenge Microsoft
• Negative Sentiment: A hot inflation report and rising bond yields weighed on the broader market, creating an additional headwind for technology shares. Stock market coverage on inflation and technology shares

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.