Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Position Boosted by NewEdge Advisors LLC

NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,661,376 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 88,531 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises approximately 1.8% of NewEdge Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. NewEdge Advisors LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $619,725,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hedeker Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 6.9% during the second quarter. Hedeker Wealth LLC now owns 55,236 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $20,604,000 after purchasing an additional 3,546 shares during the period. Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter worth $14,959,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 3.2% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 180,462 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $67,316,000 after buying an additional 5,662 shares during the period. Roble Belko & Company Inc increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 17.8% in the second quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 5,826 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,173,000 after buying an additional 880 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Microsoft by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,836,049 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $2,176,963,000 after buying an additional 53,331 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In related news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $302,924,086.32. This represents a 1.30% 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 have sold a total of 135,504 shares of company stock worth $68,138,024 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSFT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Tigress Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $680.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded shares of Microsoft from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Microsoft from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $609.54.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Azure’s reported 48% growth helped lift Microsoft amid an AI-related tech rebound. Commentary also points to AI demand exceeding available capacity and argues Microsoft can fund its expansion from strong cash flow—an advantage as investors scrutinize rivals’ borrowing and spending. Article: What’s Going on with Microsoft Stock on Tuesday? Article: Why Microsoft Was Rewarded for Spending Less on AI
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s AI tools may reach a broader base of PC users: the company says AI can run on a computer with 8GB of memory, potentially supporting adoption of Copilot and related services. Article: AI on an 8GB PC? Yes, Says Microsoft
• Neutral Sentiment: Xbox’s reveal of a new Elder Scrolls title drew attention to Microsoft’s gaming business, but the article provides no indication of near-term financial impact. Article: Microsoft Stock Rises After The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel Reveal
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha contributor downgraded Microsoft, arguing that the easiest gains may be behind the stock—an assessment that could temper expectations after its recent strength. Article: Microsoft: The Easy Gains Are Already Over (Downgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s reported $45.2 billion in quarterly capital spending, largely for AI, underscores the risk that infrastructure costs could weigh on cash flow before returns fully materialize. Reports of buyouts offered to roughly 60,000 employees may also prompt questions about workforce changes. Article: 5 questions to ask if your boss offers you a buyout

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $520.99 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.87 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.19, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $514.06 and a 200 day moving average of $438.92. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $349.20 and a 52 week high of $551.15. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $92.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.13 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s payout ratio is presently 19.00%.

Microsoft Company Profile

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.

The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.