1,957 Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Bought by Archer Investment Corp

Key Points

• Archer Investment Corp increased its Microsoft position by 11.2% in the second quarter, purchasing 1,957 shares and bringing its total holdings to 19,471 shares valued at approximately $7.26 million. Institutional investors collectively own 71.13% of Microsoft.
• Analyst sentiment remains bullish: 43 analysts rate Microsoft a Buy, with a consensus price target of $569.29. Optimism centers on Azure growth, Copilot adoption and expanding AI infrastructure, though privacy concerns, competition from OpenAI and the high cost of the AI buildout remain risks.
• Microsoft reported quarterly revenue of $90.01 billion and earnings of $4.74 per share, exceeding estimates, while revenue grew 17.7% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.98 per share, but insiders have sold more than $71 million of stock over the past three months.

Archer Investment Corp raised its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 11.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,471 shares of the software giant's stock after purchasing an additional 1,957 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for about 1.4% of Archer Investment Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Archer Investment Corp's holdings in Microsoft were worth $7,263,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MSFT. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 5.3% in the second quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 8,894 shares of the software giant's stock worth $3,317,000 after buying an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 8.2% during the second quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 67,743 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $25,269,000 after acquiring an additional 5,115 shares in the last quarter. Old Peak Finance LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 16.7% during the second quarter. Old Peak Finance LLC now owns 4,583 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,710,000 after acquiring an additional 656 shares in the last quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd raised its holdings in Microsoft by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd now owns 10,616 shares of the software giant's stock worth $3,960,000 after acquiring an additional 478 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Willis Investment Counsel lifted its position in Microsoft by 6.8% in the 2nd quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 121,147 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $45,190,000 after acquiring an additional 7,713 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Bank of America increased their price objective on Microsoft from $500.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Stifel Nicolaus raised Microsoft from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $530.00 to $575.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $640.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Microsoft from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Forty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $569.29.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Copilot remains the primary catalyst. Jefferies reiterated its bullish view, citing Microsoft’s redesigned Copilot, new usage-based revenue opportunities and potential for paid Copilot seats to double over the next year. Enterprise AI adoption, however, is expected to build gradually. Jefferies Doubles Down on Microsoft's Copilot Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see further upside. JPMorgan maintained a Buy rating with a $625 target, while RBC reportedly set a $640 target, supported by Azure growth, Copilot adoption and Microsoft’s expanding AI infrastructure. The stock is also on track for its strongest quarterly performance in decades, reflecting a market “flight to quality.” Microsoft Stock Surges Past $500
• Positive Sentiment: Azure and enterprise demand support the long-term case. Recent commentary points to Azure growth above 40%, rapidly increasing Copilot seats and a commercial backlog approaching $700 billion. Microsoft is also bringing OpenAI’s autonomous “Dots” AI workers into its enterprise security ecosystem, potentially expanding cloud and software consumption. Microsoft Brings OpenAI's Autonomous Dots AI Workers Into the Enterprise
• Neutral Sentiment: AI policy developments remain mixed. President Trump reaffirmed support for data centers and announced voluntary AI controls with Microsoft and other technology companies, potentially easing regulatory concerns while leaving uncertainty over whether voluntary safeguards will be sufficient. At A.I. Event, Trump Asks Meta, OpenAI and Microsoft to Make Safety Decisions Themselves
• Negative Sentiment: Privacy and competitive risks are weighing on sentiment. Reports that humans may review some Copilot prompts have raised data-privacy concerns. OpenAI is also launching workplace features that increasingly resemble Microsoft Office, intensifying the risk that a key partner could compete directly with Microsoft’s software franchise. OpenAI Takes on Microsoft With a ChatGPT Office Suite
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are questioning the cost and valuation of the AI buildout. Microsoft is reducing staff while committing heavily to data centers, and some analysts argue that cash-flow benefits may take longer to materialize. After its rally, elevated expectations leave less room for execution setbacks.

Microsoft Price Performance

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $508.96 on Wednesday. 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 Corporation has a 12 month low of $349.20 and a 12 month high of $553.72. The stock has a market cap of $3.78 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.34, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.11. The company's 50 day moving average is $482.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $427.75.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The firm had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.65 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.27%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Microsoft 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 sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total transaction of $2,388,068.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 42,677 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,188,276.96. This trade represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 143,009 shares of company stock worth $71,420,699. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Profile

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices, gaming products and business solutions. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the company is best known for the Windows operating system and Microsoft Office productivity software. Microsoft is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, and serves consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.

Microsoft's productivity and business offerings include Microsoft 365 applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, along with collaboration tools including Teams.

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