3,929 Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Purchased by Avity Investment Management Inc.

Key Points

• Avity Investment Management increased its Microsoft stake by 3.1%, adding 3,929 shares in the third quarter to hold 130,240 shares worth about $66.8 million. Microsoft represents 4% of the fund’s portfolio and is its fifth-largest holding.
• Microsoft’s latest quarter beat analyst expectations: earnings were $4.89 per share and revenue reached $92.28 billion, up 18.8% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend from $0.91 to $0.98 per share.
• Institutional investors own 71.13% of Microsoft shares, while analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with a $609.54 average price target. Recent analyst views were mixed, including a downgrade to neutral by Griffin Securities.

Avity Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 3.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 130,240 shares of the software giant's stock after acquiring an additional 3,929 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises about 4.0% of Avity Investment Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Avity Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $66,800,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MSFT. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 2.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 315,653,206 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $117,744,959,000 after purchasing an additional 8,944,917 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,338,370,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 0.9% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 64,375,360 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $24,013,297,000 after buying an additional 543,172 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $18,306,443,000. Finally, Amundi grew its holdings in Microsoft by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 46,694,778 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $17,418,076,000 after buying an additional 5,019,702 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Microsoft News Summary

Investors following MSFT have been watching these news items:

• Positive Sentiment: ETF activity showed net buying of Microsoft shares on Nov. 10, with 53 funds buying and 16 selling, a potential sign of institutional demand. ETFs Are Buying Microsoft
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is collaborating with DuPont and NobleAI on AI-enabled research and development, adding another potential application for its AI technology. DuPont, Microsoft and NobleAI collaborate in R&D innovation with AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Griffin Securities downgraded Microsoft to neutral despite Azure’s reported 48% growth, adding a cautious analyst view amid market volatility. Azure Grew 48%, Yet Griffin Securities Downgraded Microsoft

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $523.00 on Friday. 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 $559.15. The company has a market capitalization of $3.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.89, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.05. The firm's 50-day moving average is $518.72 and its 200 day moving average is $441.64.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.17. The company 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%. Microsoft's revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.13 EPS. Research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.91 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.98 per share. This is a boost from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MSFT shares. Phillip Securities downgraded Microsoft from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $550.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $640.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $609.54.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $531.00, for a total value of $2,655,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 54,412 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,892,772. This represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 directly owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 147,809 shares of company stock worth $74,769,646. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Microsoft

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.

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