Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) EVP Sells $2,655,000.00 in Stock

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $531.00, for a total transaction of $2,655,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 54,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,892,772. This represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT traded up $1.87 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $523.00. The company had a trading volume of 18,540,749 shares, compared to its average volume of 33,377,895. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $349.20 and a twelve month high of $559.15. The stock has a market cap of $3.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.05. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $518.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $441.37.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $92.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 41.17% and a return on equity of 31.28%. Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.13 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MSFT. William Blair assumed coverage on Microsoft in a research report on Monday, October 5th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets set a $610.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Deutsche Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $600.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, October 12th. UBS Group set a $700.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, KeyCorp set a $625.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $609.54.

Latest Microsoft News

Here’s some of the latest news about MSFT:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s upcoming Ignite conference is expected to spotlight Azure and Copilot, supporting investor optimism about continued AI-driven cloud growth. Shares advanced, although Microsoft’s move into the world’s No. 2 spot by market value also reflected a sharp decline in Nvidia shares. Microsoft stock rises as Ignite conference puts AI growth narrative in focus
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft’s AI power pledges have not eased concerns among Democratic lawmakers, raising potential regulatory risks for data centers and AI companies. Google, Microsoft ‘Fail to Sway’ Democrats With AI Power Pledge
• Negative Sentiment: Anthropic’s new workplace tools, including spreadsheet software, add competitive pressure to Microsoft 365 and Excel. The products are still in beta, but the news has fueled concern about threats to a major productivity-software business. Anthropic Now Makes Its Own Spreadsheet Software

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Microsoft

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Montgomery Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Frankly Finances LLC acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter worth $35,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth $37,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Fiduciary Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 37.4% during the second quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. now owns 125 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

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.