Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock: Toth Financial Advisory Corp Increases Stake

Toth Financial Advisory Corp grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 58,789 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,159 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up 3.0% of Toth Financial Advisory Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Toth Financial Advisory Corp’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $30,153,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Frankly Finances LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Fiduciary Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 37.4% during the 2nd quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. now owns 125 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft News Summary

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Roth Capital started coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Friday. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $640.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Microsoft from $725.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. 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-six have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $609.54.

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $545.18 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $517.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $440.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.21. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $559.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.05.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $92.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 41.17% and a return on equity of 31.28%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.13 EPS. Analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 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 is 19.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total value of $3,984,293.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 555,396 shares in the company, valued at approximately $302,924,086.32. The trade was a 1.30% 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 135,504 shares of company stock valued at $68,138,024 in the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.