1,242 Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Bought by Apeiron RIA LLC

Key Points

• Apeiron RIA increased its Microsoft stake by 47.3% in the third quarter, adding 1,242 shares to hold 3,866 shares valued at about $1.98 million.
• Microsoft beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with year-over-year revenue growth of 18.8%; it also raised its quarterly dividend from $0.91 to $0.98 per share. Analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with a $609.54 average price target.
• AI demand offers potential upside, but rising infrastructure spending has weighed on free cash flow. The article also reports insider share sales and one fund’s full exit from its Microsoft position.

Apeiron RIA LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 47.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,866 shares of the software giant's stock after purchasing an additional 1,242 shares during the period. Apeiron RIA LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $1,983,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth about $27,338,370,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $18,306,443,000. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $6,928,664,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $5,653,812,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,000,706,000. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total transaction of $20,764,903.98. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 533,624 shares in the company, valued at $265,888,830.48. This trade represents a 7.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $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 ninety days, insiders sold 135,504 shares of company stock worth $68,138,024. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citizens Jmp lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $550.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Evercore upgraded shares of Microsoft from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. BMO Capital Markets set a $610.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $725.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $640.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. One equities 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $609.54.

Microsoft Trading Up 2.7%

MSFT stock opened at $545.18 on Tuesday. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $349.20 and a one year high of $559.15. The stock has a market cap of $4.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $517.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $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 (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $92.28 billion for 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 company's revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.13 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.92 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors 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 is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.00%.

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.

Microsoft serves customers around the world through its products, online platforms, and network of business partners.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.