Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC

Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC decreased its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 70,581 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,570 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up approximately 2.8% of Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $36,201,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dorato Capital Management lifted its position in Microsoft by 6.6% during the third quarter. Dorato Capital Management now owns 3,409 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,806,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in Microsoft by 6.6% during the third quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 39,661 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $20,342,000 after buying an additional 2,458 shares in the last quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC now owns 12,928 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $6,631,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Meadowbrook Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Meadowbrook Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,336 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $3,250,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the period. Finally, Sapient Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 465,911 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $238,966,000 after buying an additional 27,517 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MSFT shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Roth Capital began coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $570.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Scotiabank upped their target price on Microsoft from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Griffin Securities downgraded Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $609.54.

Microsoft Trading Down 2.2%

MSFT opened at $533.16 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $3.96 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.83, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company’s 50 day moving average is $517.80 and its 200-day moving average is $441.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $349.20 and a 1-year high of $559.15.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.17. The business 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.13 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.00%.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft and IBM introduced Imagine Enterprise, a platform combining IBM’s library of more than 6,000 AI agents with Microsoft’s cloud, data and security tools. The partnership could help drive enterprise demand for Microsoft’s AI and cloud services. IBM and Microsoft Announce a New AI Agent Platform Designed for Industry-Specific Transformation
• Positive Sentiment: A five-year partnership with Ohio State University will apply Microsoft’s cloud and AI technology to healthcare, research and education, adding another potential customer and use case. Ohio State and Microsoft announce five-year strategic partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft reportedly urged the administration to drop a proposed ban on Chinese data-center technology, warning that restrictions could complicate data-center deployment. The outcome could affect equipment access and rollout timing. Microsoft presses Trump to scuttle expected ban on Chinese data-center technology
• Negative Sentiment: Anthropic unveiled workplace tools that could compete with Microsoft Office, including spreadsheet-related capabilities. The move raised concerns about competition in Microsoft’s enterprise software business. Anthropic unveils office suite to challenge Microsoft
• Negative Sentiment: A hot inflation report and rising bond yields weighed on the broader market, creating an additional headwind for technology shares. Stock market coverage on inflation and technology shares

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In related news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the business’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 sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value of $20,764,903.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 142,809 shares of company stock valued at $72,114,646 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

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.