2,678 Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by Moody National Bank Trust Division

Moody National Bank Trust Division lessened its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 4.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 56,353 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 2,678 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises 2.1% of Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $28,903,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MSFT. RVW Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 98.4% in the 3rd quarter. RVW Wealth LLC now owns 8,079 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $4,144,000 after acquiring an additional 4,006 shares in the last quarter. Boyum Wealth Architects LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 2.2% in the third quarter. Boyum Wealth Architects LLC now owns 2,015 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,043,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Paladin Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 8.6% in the third quarter. Paladin Partners LLC now owns 3,961 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $2,032,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. GoalFusion Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 18.6% in the third quarter. GoalFusion Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,508 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,286,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Iowa State Bank lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 8.0% during the third quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 43,399 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $22,259,000 after purchasing an additional 3,222 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $530.61 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $516.65 and its 200 day moving average is $440.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.22. The company has a market capitalization of $3.94 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.05. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $349.20 and a fifty-two week high of $559.15.

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

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.00%.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s free-cash-flow position may offer some reassurance: an analysis notes that several other major AI hyperscalers are generating negative free cash flow, while Microsoft is generating positive cash flow. Is Microsoft Getting Enough Credit for Better Free Cash Flow Compared to its Peers?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say Microsoft plans to reduce the number of neocloud partners it uses, wind down rented AI capacity from Oracle, and declined a Texas data-center expansion with Nscale. This could help control costs and give Microsoft tighter oversight as it builds its own infrastructure, but the implications for capacity growth remain uncertain. Microsoft plans to use fewer neoclouds as AI buildout shows signs of strain
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may read the canceled or reduced AI-computing commitments as a sign that Microsoft is reassessing demand, project timing, or returns on its data-center spending. The shift comes as reports highlight construction delays and the rising cost of meeting a growing AI backlog, intensifying scrutiny of whether heavy investment will pay off. Microsoft is winding down Oracle deal to rent AI cloud capacity, Bloomberg News reports
• Negative Sentiment: Broader unease around AI spending and tech-market volatility may also weigh on MSFT, as investors question the scale of data-center investment relative to future cash returns. Microsoft and Oracle’s AI ambitions are suddenly a lot more expensive

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 533,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $265,888,830.48. This represents a 7.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following 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 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 135,504 shares of company stock worth $68,138,024. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MSFT shares. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $662.00 to $722.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Microsoft from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. KeyCorp set a $625.00 target price on Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $609.54.

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.