16,071 Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc.

Key Points

• Campbell Newman Asset Management reduced its Microsoft stake by 10.7%, selling 16,071 shares in the second quarter and retaining 133,704 shares valued at approximately $49.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 71.13% of Microsoft.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: Microsoft has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating from 49 analysts and an average price target of $592.15, with several firms recently raising their targets.
• Microsoft exceeded quarterly expectations with $4.74 in earnings per share and $90.01 billion in revenue, while increasing its quarterly dividend to $0.98. However, insiders have sold roughly $75.4 million of shares over the past 90 days, and investors remain focused on whether AI spending will translate into cloud growth and stronger margins.

Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. lessened its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 10.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 133,704 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 16,071 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for about 3.7% of Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $49,874,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Novem Group boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 9.0% during the second quarter. Novem Group now owns 17,333 shares of the software giant's stock worth $6,466,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429 shares during the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,129 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,913,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. LS Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% during the second quarter. LS Investment Advisors LLC now owns 76,246 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $28,441,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the period. CV Advisors LLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 23.9% in the 2nd quarter. CV Advisors LLC now owns 44,774 shares of the software giant's stock worth $16,702,000 after purchasing an additional 8,644 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summitry LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 221,816 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $82,742,000 after buying an additional 7,354 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $440.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, September 21st. Truist Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $575.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $515.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Microsoft from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Forty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $592.15.

Microsoft Stock Up 0.7%

Microsoft stock opened at $524.51 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $508.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $446.17. The firm has a market cap of $3.90 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.20, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $349.20 and a 12 month high of $553.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. Microsoft's quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.65 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. 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 dividend yield of 0.7%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value of $20,764,903.98. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $265,888,830.48. This represents a 7.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total value of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Azure and earnings expectations remain strong. Bank of America reaffirmed its Buy rating and forecast approximately 44.8% Azure growth. Analysts expect quarterly results to be broadly in line with estimates, with Azure strength potentially offsetting heavy investment in AI infrastructure. Microsoft Stock Forecast: BofA Reaffirms Buy Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s custom silicon and security businesses could support future cloud margins. The Maia AI accelerator and other internally developed chips may reduce reliance on Nvidia, improve cost control and retain more economics from Microsoft’s AI services. Investors are also watching whether security growth helps offset data-center expenses. Microsoft: Security And Silicon Set The Stage For Cloud Margin Recovery
• Positive Sentiment: Medical AI results add another potential growth opportunity. Microsoft’s MAI-DxO reportedly diagnosed complex cases more than twice as often as general physicians in a simulation, strengthening the company’s positioning in healthcare AI, although commercialization and regulatory hurdles remain. Microsoft develops AI tool that can diagnose sequentially like a doctor
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming report is a major near-term catalyst. Investors will focus on Azure growth, Copilot adoption, AI monetization, capital expenditures, backlog conversion and management’s outlook. The stock is trading near its yearly high, raising expectations for a strong forecast. Microsoft's Earnings Problem: Even Great May Not Be Enough
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending and market conditions could pressure valuation and margins. Investors have recently sold some technology shares when companies raised infrastructure budgets, while a weaker overall market and higher oil prices have added volatility. Microsoft’s large data-center investment must translate into revenue growth to justify the spending. Microsoft Earnings Report To Focus On AI Momentum, Capex
• Negative Sentiment: Operational and product concerns remain. Microsoft withdrew from a U.K. data-center deal because of power-delivery delays, and Xbox cloud-streaming price changes have generated customer friction. Former CEO Bill Gates has also warned about AI safety risks, potentially increasing regulatory scrutiny. Microsoft pulls out of UK Nscale data centre deal over power delay

About Microsoft

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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