Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Position Lifted by Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. grew its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.1% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,268,049 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,300 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up approximately 4.7% of Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $650,382,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 315,653,206 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $117,744,959,000 after acquiring an additional 8,944,917 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter worth about $27,338,370,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in 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 worth $24,013,297,000 after purchasing an additional 543,172 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth about $18,306,443,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 12.0% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 46,694,778 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $17,418,076,000 after purchasing an additional 5,019,702 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Down 2.3%

Microsoft stock opened at $521.13 on Thursday. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $349.20 and a 1-year high of $559.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market cap of $3.87 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $518.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $441.37.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $92.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.28% and a net margin of 41.17%. Microsoft’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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. 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 0.8%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.46%.

Top Microsoft Stories

These are some of the MSFT stories that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s cloud and AI businesses continue to attract enterprise use. A new IBM partnership combines Microsoft’s cloud, data and security services with more than 6,000 AI agents; Northern Trust also reported that an agent built with Microsoft cut data-preparation time by 83%. IBM and Microsoft announce an AI agent platform Northern Trust leans on Microsoft to boost agentic AI
• Negative Sentiment: Anthropic’s new workplace tools—including spreadsheet and data-focused products—are the clearest near-term overhang, raising fears that AI competitors could challenge Microsoft’s large Office and productivity-software business. Microsoft stock slides after Anthropic launches productivity tools
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Microsoft is pushing back against a potential U.S. ban on Chinese data-center components point to a possible obstacle for equipment access and data-center deployment—important given the company’s AI infrastructure needs. Microsoft presses to scuttle expected ban on Chinese data-center technology

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on MSFT shares. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Deutsche Bank reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, October 12th. William Blair assumed coverage on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, October 5th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Phillip Securities cut shares of Microsoft from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. One research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $609.54.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 that occurred on Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.37, for a total transaction of $3,976,622.85. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 548,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $298,364,297.67. The trade was a 1.32% 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 142,809 shares of company stock valued at $72,114,646. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Microsoft 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.