1,710 Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Bought by XML Financial LLC

XML Financial LLC increased its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 3.0% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 57,808 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 1,710 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises 1.6% of XML Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. XML Financial LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $21,563,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,473 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $549,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. Friedenthal Financial raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 431 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $160,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Sequent Planning LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Sequent Planning LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,382,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Microsoft by 3.8% in the second quarter. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC now owns 687 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Microsoft by 0.5% in the first quarter. Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC now owns 5,543 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $2,052,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $532.60 on Tuesday. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $349.20 and a 52 week high of $553.72. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $508.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $437.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market cap of $3.96 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.10.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The firm had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.65 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.27%.

Insider Activity

In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MSFT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Needham & Company LLC began coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Raymond James Financial lowered Microsoft from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $600.00 price objective (up from $575.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Forty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $594.11.

More Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to approximately 60,000 employees in the U.S., Canada, India and the U.K. The program is aimed at reducing costs and reallocating resources toward artificial intelligence, data centers and other strategic priorities. Investors appear to view the move as a way to help offset the company’s substantial AI infrastructure spending. Microsoft offers voluntary buyouts to 60,000 employees
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their price targets ahead of earnings. Oppenheimer lifted its target to $625 from $570, while Truist raised its target to $600 from $575 and maintained a Buy rating, citing resilient Azure growth and strong enterprise demand. Oppenheimer raises Microsoft target ahead of earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street expects continued momentum in Azure and Copilot monetization. Microsoft reports fiscal first-quarter results on October 28, making cloud growth, AI demand and spending efficiency important near-term catalysts. Microsoft stock gains as Wall Street sees Azure growth

Microsoft Company 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.