Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Holdings Lifted by Rayburn West Financial Services LLC

Rayburn West Financial Services LLC raised its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 5.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,125 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,624 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for 6.0% of Rayburn West Financial Services LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Rayburn West Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $10,898,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% during the second quarter. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC now owns 14,105 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $5,261,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC raised its stake in Microsoft by 39.8% in the second quarter. Navigoe LLC now owns 344 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $128,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Hurlow Wealth Management Group Inc. raised its stake in Microsoft by 3.5% in the second quarter. Hurlow Wealth Management Group Inc. now owns 3,963 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,478,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. OFC Financial Planning LLC lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter. OFC Financial Planning LLC now owns 4,169 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,555,000 after buying an additional 467 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fidelity D & D Bancorp Inc. boosted its position in shares of Microsoft by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Fidelity D & D Bancorp Inc. now owns 8,119 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $3,029,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $244,092,173.98. This trade represents a 15.09% 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 143,009 shares of company stock valued at $71,420,699. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

MSFT stock opened at $535.07 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.97 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.79, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $349.20 and a twelve month high of $553.72. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $501.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $434.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The business had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.65 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.27%.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft introduced Microsoft-Decision-1, an AI model it says makes decisions substantially faster than GPT-6 Sol. The launch reinforces Microsoft’s competitive position in enterprise AI and could support demand for Azure and Copilot services. Microsoft launches Microsoft-Decision-1
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and investor commentary remains bullish on Microsoft’s AI stack, Azure acceleration, Copilot adoption and a large reported backlog. Wells Fargo reportedly raised its price target to $725, while Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a Buy rating with a $600 target. Morgan Stanley rating
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is attempting to revive Windows and expand on-device AI with new Nvidia-powered Surface hardware, including the premium Surface Laptop Ultra. Local AI processing could strengthen the Windows ecosystem and stimulate higher-value PC sales. Surface Laptop Ultra
• Positive Sentiment: The company is nearing a $4 trillion market capitalization after a strong earnings beat, with revenue and earnings growth continuing to support the recent rally. The next major test is Microsoft’s expected October 28 earnings report. Microsoft approaches $4 trillion valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft’s new Xbox division, focused on film, television, events and theme parks, could expand the reach of its gaming franchises, although the strategy is unlikely to materially affect near-term financial results. Microsoft forms new Xbox unit
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. suspension of Microsoft’s PERM green-card sponsorship program creates hiring and retention uncertainty, particularly for specialized AI and engineering workers. Investors are weighing potential compliance costs and the risk of an “AI brain drain.” U.S. suspends Microsoft green-card program
• Negative Sentiment: Italy launched an EU-backed antitrust investigation into Microsoft-owned game companies over virtual currencies, adding regulatory risk to the gaming business. Italy gaming investigation

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas Exane cut Microsoft from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. CLSA reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, July 20th. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Microsoft from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $700.00 to $725.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Forty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $578.73.

Microsoft Profile

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices, gaming products and business solutions. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the company is best known for the Windows operating system and Microsoft Office productivity software. Microsoft is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, and serves consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.

Microsoft’s productivity and business offerings include Microsoft 365 applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, along with collaboration tools including Teams.