Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Sold by YHB Investment Advisors Inc.

YHB Investment Advisors Inc. cut its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 124,622 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 3,297 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for 4.1% of YHB Investment Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. YHB Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $63,918,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Titleist Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 5.7% in the third quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 25,966 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $13,318,000 after buying an additional 1,410 shares during the last quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 62,525 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $32,069,000 after acquiring an additional 4,670 shares during the period. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 74,090 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $38,001,000 after acquiring an additional 2,510 shares during the period. Veracity Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 25.5% during the 3rd quarter. Veracity Capital LLC now owns 13,373 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $6,859,000 after acquiring an additional 2,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vista Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC now owns 11,382 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $5,838,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft Price Performance

Microsoft stock opened at $545.18 on Tuesday. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $349.20 and a 12 month high of $559.15. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $517.28 and its 200-day moving average is $440.69. 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 has a market capitalization of $4.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.45, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.05.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.17. The company 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.13 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.92 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date 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 19.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MSFT. Tigress Financial increased their price target on Microsoft from $680.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $662.00 to $722.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Evercore upgraded shares of Microsoft from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Phillip Securities downgraded shares of Microsoft from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research 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 issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $609.54.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total value of $43,388,826.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 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 in the company, valued at $265,888,830.48. This trade represents a 7.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders have sold a total of 135,504 shares of company stock worth $68,138,024 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Northern Trust introduced an AI-powered client-onboarding agent running on Microsoft Azure, with Excel and SharePoint integration. The reported reductions in data-preparation time and strong data-quality results illustrate potential enterprise demand for Microsoft’s cloud and AI tools. Microsoft stock and Northern Trust AI agent
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft is reportedly becoming more selective about outside AI data-center and neocloud arrangements, including not renewing a cloud contract involving Oracle. Tighter spending could support cash flow, but changes to its infrastructure plans may also raise questions about capacity and execution. Microsoft AI data-center deals
• Negative Sentiment: AI investment remains a key risk: one report said Microsoft’s free cash flow over the last four quarters was about 23% below the prior-year period, amid rising infrastructure spending. A large reported backlog signals demand, but investors will look for that spending to translate into returns. Microsoft backlog, AI capex and neocloud ties
• Negative Sentiment: B&D White Capital, a fund with roughly $1.03 billion in assets, reported selling all its Microsoft shares in the third quarter. The filing is backward-looking and does not establish the fund’s reason for selling, but it may add to near-term sentiment concerns. B&D White Capital share sale

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.

Microsoft serves customers around the world through its products, online platforms, and network of business partners.