14,713 Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by SVB Wealth LLC

Key Points

• SVB Wealth cut its Microsoft stake by 9.8%, selling 14,713 shares in the second quarter. It retained 134,978 shares, valued at $50.35 million and representing 2.9% of its portfolio.
• Analyst views were mostly positive: Microsoft had a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $609.54, though some firms downgraded it to “Hold.”
• Microsoft beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with revenue up 18.8% year over year, and raised its quarterly dividend from $0.91 to $0.98 per share.

SVB Wealth LLC lowered its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 9.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 134,978 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 14,713 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises about 2.9% of SVB Wealth LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. SVB Wealth LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $50,350,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MSFT shares. Melius Research raised shares of Microsoft from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $665.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, October 5th. UBS Group set a $700.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Phillip Securities downgraded shares of Microsoft from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of Microsoft from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $609.54.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Azure’s reported 48% growth helped lift Microsoft amid an AI-related tech rebound. Commentary also points to AI demand exceeding available capacity and argues Microsoft can fund its expansion from strong cash flow—an advantage as investors scrutinize rivals’ borrowing and spending. Article: What's Going on with Microsoft Stock on Tuesday? Article: Why Microsoft Was Rewarded for Spending Less on AI
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s AI tools may reach a broader base of PC users: the company says AI can run on a computer with 8GB of memory, potentially supporting adoption of Copilot and related services. Article: AI on an 8GB PC? Yes, Says Microsoft
• Neutral Sentiment: Xbox’s reveal of a new Elder Scrolls title drew attention to Microsoft’s gaming business, but the article provides no indication of near-term financial impact. Article: Microsoft Stock Rises After The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel Reveal
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha contributor downgraded Microsoft, arguing that the easiest gains may be behind the stock—an assessment that could temper expectations after its recent strength. Article: Microsoft: The Easy Gains Are Already Over (Downgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s reported $45.2 billion in quarterly capital spending, largely for AI, underscores the risk that infrastructure costs could weigh on cash flow before returns fully materialize. Reports of buyouts offered to roughly 60,000 employees may also prompt questions about workforce changes. Article: 5 questions to ask if your boss offers you a buyout

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $520.99 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $551.15. The business's 50 day moving average is $514.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $438.92. The company has a market capitalization of $3.87 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.05.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $92.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.28% and a net margin of 41.17%. The business's revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.13 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.86 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.98 per share. This is a positive change from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Microsoft's payout ratio is 19.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through 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 company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total transaction of $3,984,293.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 555,396 shares of the company's stock, valued at $302,924,086.32. This represents a 1.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 135,504 shares of company stock worth $68,138,024 in the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Microsoft 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.

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