Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Sold by Eastern Bank

Eastern Bank trimmed its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 2.6% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 578,874 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 15,682 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises 4.5% of Eastern Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Eastern Bank’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $296,904,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 1.7% in the third quarter. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,198 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $5,231,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 294,841 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $151,224,000 after purchasing an additional 1,686 shares in the last quarter. Miller Global Investments LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. Miller Global Investments LLC now owns 2,205 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,131,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the period. RFG Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Microsoft by 1.1% during the third quarter. RFG Holdings Inc. now owns 7,633 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $3,915,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Polaris Financial Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the third quarter valued at $4,493,000. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $530.61 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.94 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $516.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $440.18. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $349.20 and a one year high of $559.15.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.72 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $92.28 billion during 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.13 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.89 EPS 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 paid 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSFT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Wolfe Research raised Microsoft from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Melius Research upgraded Microsoft from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $665.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, October 5th. KeyCorp set a $625.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $609.54.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s free-cash-flow position may offer some reassurance: an analysis notes that several other major AI hyperscalers are generating negative free cash flow, while Microsoft is generating positive cash flow. Is Microsoft Getting Enough Credit for Better Free Cash Flow Compared to its Peers?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say Microsoft plans to reduce the number of neocloud partners it uses, wind down rented AI capacity from Oracle, and declined a Texas data-center expansion with Nscale. This could help control costs and give Microsoft tighter oversight as it builds its own infrastructure, but the implications for capacity growth remain uncertain. Microsoft plans to use fewer neoclouds as AI buildout shows signs of strain
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may read the canceled or reduced AI-computing commitments as a sign that Microsoft is reassessing demand, project timing, or returns on its data-center spending. The shift comes as reports highlight construction delays and the rising cost of meeting a growing AI backlog, intensifying scrutiny of whether heavy investment will pay off. Microsoft is winding down Oracle deal to rent AI cloud capacity, Bloomberg News reports
• Negative Sentiment: Broader unease around AI spending and tech-market volatility may also weigh on MSFT, as investors question the scale of data-center investment relative to future cash returns. Microsoft and Oracle’s AI ambitions are suddenly a lot more expensive

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value of $20,764,903.98. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 533,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $265,888,830.48. The trade was a 7.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total value of $43,388,826.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 135,504 shares of company stock valued at $68,138,024. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Microsoft 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.