Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stake Reduced by Whalen Wealth Management Inc.

Whalen Wealth Management Inc. reduced its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 12.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,095 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,262 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for about 2.0% of Whalen Wealth Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Whalen Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $4,665,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Frankly Finances LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Fiduciary Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Microsoft by 37.4% in the 2nd quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. now owns 125 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citizens Jmp increased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $550.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $662.00 to $722.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Evercore raised shares of Microsoft from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of Microsoft from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, UBS Group set a $700.00 target price on Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $609.54.

Microsoft News Summary

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

Microsoft Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of MSFT opened at $545.18 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $517.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $440.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.21. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $559.15.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 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 analysts’ expectations of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 41.17% and a return on equity of 31.28%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.13 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total transaction of $3,984,293.10. Following 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 135,504 shares of company stock valued at $68,138,024 in the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.