Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas

Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas decreased its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 189,183 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 2,282 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up about 3.4% of Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas’ holdings in Microsoft were worth $70,569,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,338,370,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.9% in the second 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 valued at $24,013,297,000 after acquiring an additional 543,172 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter worth about $18,306,443,000. Amundi raised its holdings in Microsoft by 12.0% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 46,694,778 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $17,418,076,000 after acquiring an additional 5,019,702 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Microsoft by 10.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 29,323,744 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $10,852,884,000 after acquiring an additional 2,784,809 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cloud and AI results supported the rally. Microsoft’s fiscal first-quarter revenue rose 19% year over year to $92.28 billion, beating estimates, while Azure growth accelerated and AI adoption continued to expand. Reports also highlighted a $677 billion commercial backlog as evidence of future demand. Article: MSFT Q1 Earnings Call Highlights Azure Growth and AI Spending
• Positive Sentiment: Broader market strength lifted mega-cap technology shares. Microsoft joined a post-election rebound as investors rotated back into AI leaders; the company also reached a record high during the session. Article: Microsoft Stock Hits Record High as Midterm Results Boost AI Infrastructure Bets
• Positive Sentiment: New analytics tools target AI-assisted shopping. Microsoft added features to Clarity that help merchants track how AI agents interact with websites and apps, extending the company’s offerings for businesses adopting agentic AI. Article: Microsoft Clarity Helps Merchants Welcome AI Shopping Agents
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft disclosed a $25 billion senior-notes offering. The debt issuance provides financing flexibility, but also adds borrowing and interest obligations. Article: Microsoft Announces $25 Billion Senior Notes Offering
• Negative Sentiment: AI investment remains a key risk. Analysts and commentary flagged substantial infrastructure spending, possible pressure on free cash flow and margins, and political calls for tighter data-center rules that could constrain future expansion. Article: Microsoft: Don’t Get Too Excited About Its Positive FCF

Microsoft Trading Up 6.7%

Microsoft stock opened at $555.80 on Thursday. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $349.20 and a 52 week high of $559.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.13 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.01, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $515.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $439.42.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.17. The firm 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.13 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on MSFT. Mizuho raised their price target on Microsoft from $510.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Wolfe Research raised Microsoft from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Microsoft from $725.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $609.54.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Microsoft news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the firm’s 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total transaction of $20,764,903.98. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $265,888,830.48. This trade represents a 7.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 over the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Microsoft

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.