Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Acquired by Veracity Capital LLC

Veracity Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 25.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,373 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,715 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up approximately 1.9% of Veracity Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Veracity Capital LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $6,859,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its position in Microsoft by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 315,653,206 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $117,744,959,000 after purchasing an additional 8,944,917 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth $27,338,370,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 64,375,360 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $24,013,297,000 after buying an additional 543,172 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth $18,306,443,000. Finally, Amundi grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 46,694,778 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $17,418,076,000 after buying an additional 5,019,702 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $545.18 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $4.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $517.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $440.69. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $559.15.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $92.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.28% and a net margin of 41.17%. The business’s revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.13 EPS. As a group, analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is 19.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSFT has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Tigress Financial increased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $680.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Evercore upgraded shares of Microsoft from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. One equities 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $609.54.

Key Stories Impacting 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

Insider Activity

In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total transaction of $20,764,903.98. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 533,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $265,888,830.48. This represents a 7.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 worth $68,138,024 in the last quarter. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.