Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Increases Stock Position in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 10.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,845,330 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 461,438 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up 5.1% of Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $2,343,298,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elevate Wealth Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Elevate Wealth Advisory Inc. now owns 1,955 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $946,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 85,370 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $41,288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,359 shares in the last quarter. Vista Finance LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Vista Finance LLC now owns 1,018 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $492,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Aspiring Ventures LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 158.6% in the 4th quarter. Aspiring Ventures LLC now owns 14,576 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $7,049,000 after purchasing an additional 8,939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Krilogy Financial LLC lifted its position in Microsoft by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 77,274 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $36,340,000 after buying an additional 9,784 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $407.77 on Wednesday. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $356.28 and a 1 year high of $555.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The company has a market capitalization of $3.03 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $397.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $443.14.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.21. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.94% and a net margin of 39.34%.The company had revenue of $82.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.46 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.67%.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other news, Director John W. Stanton purchased 5,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 83,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. This trade represents a 6.34% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $5,045,695.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,486,322.16. This represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts and market commentators reiterated a bullish long-term view, pointing to Microsoft’s scale, cash flow, and AI positioning as reasons the stock could still be undervalued. Microsoft Stock Still Looks Undervalued Based on FCF Projections, Despite Higher Capex
• Positive Sentiment: Market interest in Microsoft remains strong, with articles highlighting bullish options activity and investor confidence in its long-term position in AI and enterprise software. Unusual Call Options in Microsoft Shows Investors are Bullish on MSFT
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s testimony in the Elon Musk-OpenAI trial reinforced the company’s central role in AI and suggested Microsoft continues to have influence over OpenAI’s strategy and economics. Microsoft CEO Testifies About Sam Altman’s Firing in Elon Musk Megatrial
• Neutral Sentiment: The ongoing Musk v. OpenAI courtroom drama is keeping Microsoft in the headlines, but the direct business impact is still unclear. Inside Sam Altman’s Dramatic Court Testimony: ‘Complicated’ Elon Musk Feelings, ‘Hair-Raising’ Tesla Talks And The Microsoft Temptation
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports that the U.S. Commerce Department removed details about an AI security-testing arrangement involving Microsoft did not provide enough clarity to gauge a meaningful financial effect. Microsoft, Google, xAI security test details deleted from US government website
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are focused on new details that OpenAI’s payments to Microsoft may be capped at $38 billion through 2030, limiting the upside from one of Microsoft’s most important AI partnerships versus earlier expectations. OpenAI to cap Microsoft revenue-sharing at $38 billion, The Information reports
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple hedge funds reportedly trimmed Microsoft positions, which can add to near-term caution even if the stakes sold were not necessarily large enough to change the long-term story. Vulcan Value Partners trims Microsoft stake, sells 32,587 shares
• Negative Sentiment: A report that Microsoft’s Kenyan data center was delayed amid payment demands suggests some execution friction in its infrastructure expansion plans. Microsoft’s Kenyan data center delayed on payment demands: report

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on Microsoft to $502.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $615.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. DZ Bank restated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their target price on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $550.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $562.69.

Microsoft Profile

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft develops, licenses and supports a broad range of software products, services and devices for consumers, enterprises and governments worldwide. Its operations span personal computing, productivity software, cloud infrastructure, enterprise applications, developer tools and gaming.

Microsoft’s product portfolio includes the Windows operating system and the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity and collaboration tools (Office apps, Outlook, Teams).