4,300 Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by Kerrisdale Advisers LLC

Kerrisdale Advisers LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 34.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,062 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 4,300 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises 0.8% of Kerrisdale Advisers LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Kerrisdale Advisers LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $3,007,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Camelot Portfolios LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 94.6% in the 2nd quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC now owns 5,287 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,972,000 after purchasing an additional 2,570 shares during the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 49.8% during the 2nd quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 33,820 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $12,616,000 after buying an additional 11,242 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 10.7% during the 2nd quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 183,132 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $68,312,000 after buying an additional 17,683 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth $2,245,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 17.0% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 474,527 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $177,062,000 after buying an additional 68,966 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Key Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Azure and earnings expectations remain strong. Bank of America reaffirmed its Buy rating and forecast approximately 44.8% Azure growth. Analysts expect quarterly results to be broadly in line with estimates, with Azure strength potentially offsetting heavy investment in AI infrastructure. Microsoft Stock Forecast: BofA Reaffirms Buy Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s custom silicon and security businesses could support future cloud margins. The Maia AI accelerator and other internally developed chips may reduce reliance on Nvidia, improve cost control and retain more economics from Microsoft’s AI services. Investors are also watching whether security growth helps offset data-center expenses. Microsoft: Security And Silicon Set The Stage For Cloud Margin Recovery
• Positive Sentiment: Medical AI results add another potential growth opportunity. Microsoft’s MAI-DxO reportedly diagnosed complex cases more than twice as often as general physicians in a simulation, strengthening the company’s positioning in healthcare AI, although commercialization and regulatory hurdles remain. Microsoft develops AI tool that can diagnose sequentially like a doctor
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming report is a major near-term catalyst. Investors will focus on Azure growth, Copilot adoption, AI monetization, capital expenditures, backlog conversion and management’s outlook. The stock is trading near its yearly high, raising expectations for a strong forecast. Microsoft’s Earnings Problem: Even Great May Not Be Enough
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending and market conditions could pressure valuation and margins. Investors have recently sold some technology shares when companies raised infrastructure budgets, while a weaker overall market and higher oil prices have added volatility. Microsoft’s large data-center investment must translate into revenue growth to justify the spending. Microsoft Earnings Report To Focus On AI Momentum, Capex
• Negative Sentiment: Operational and product concerns remain. Microsoft withdrew from a U.K. data-center deal because of power-delivery delays, and Xbox cloud-streaming price changes have generated customer friction. Former CEO Bill Gates has also warned about AI safety risks, potentially increasing regulatory scrutiny. Microsoft pulls out of UK Nscale data centre deal over power delay

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total transaction of $20,764,903.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $244,092,173.98. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on MSFT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Argus dropped their target price on shares of Microsoft from $620.00 to $510.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 10th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Microsoft from $525.00 to $675.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Evercore raised shares of Microsoft from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $522.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Forty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $592.15.

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $524.51 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.90 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $508.51 and its 200-day moving average is $446.17. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $349.20 and a 1-year high of $553.72.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The firm’s revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.65 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.66 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. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.7%. 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 20.27%.

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.