U S Wealth Group LLC. increased its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 39.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 15,220 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,292 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up 2.8% of U S Wealth Group LLC.’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position. U S Wealth Group LLC.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $5,677,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Frankly Finances LLC bought a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth $35,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth $37,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Fiduciary Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 37.4% in the second quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. now owns 125 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Activity
In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total transaction of $3,984,293.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 555,396 shares in the company, valued at $302,924,086.32. This represents a 1.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 135,504 shares of company stock valued at $68,138,024 in the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Analyst Ratings Changes
MSFT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $608.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Microsoft from $725.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Bank of America increased their target price on Microsoft from $500.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Microsoft from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $609.54.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on MSFT
Microsoft Stock Up 6.7%
Shares of MSFT opened at $555.80 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $349.20 and a 12 month high of $559.15. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $515.34 and its 200-day moving average is $439.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.13 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.05.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 EPS 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 analyst estimates of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.28% and a net margin of 41.17%. The company’s revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.13 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.98 per share. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.00%.
More Microsoft News
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 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.
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