Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC Buys 204,714 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 65.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 517,109 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 204,714 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up 6.1% of Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $265,225,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 315,653,206 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $117,744,959,000 after acquiring an additional 8,944,917 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter valued at approximately $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% during 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 purchasing an additional 543,172 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at $18,306,443,000. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 12.0% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 46,694,778 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $17,418,076,000 after purchasing an additional 5,019,702 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of MSFT opened at $533.16 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a market cap of $3.96 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.83, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.05. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $559.15. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $517.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $441.10.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.72 by $0.17. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.28% and a net margin of 41.17%. The business had revenue of $92.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.13 EPS. Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSFT has been the subject of several research reports. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Microsoft from $570.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, September 28th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $609.54.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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. This represents a 7.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $244,092,173.98. This trade represents a 15.09% 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 142,809 shares of company stock valued at $72,114,646. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft News Summary

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

Microsoft Company 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.