65,290 Shares in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Bought by Knuff & Co LLC

Key Points

• Knuff & Co LLC acquired 65,290 Microsoft shares during the second quarter, valued at approximately $24.2 million. Microsoft now represents 6.1% of the firm’s portfolio and is its second-largest holding.
• Microsoft reported quarterly EPS of $4.74 and revenue of $90.01 billion, exceeding analyst expectations, while revenue rose 17.7% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.98 per share, producing an annualized yield of 0.7%.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $578.73, although some insiders recently sold shares. Institutional investors collectively own 71.13% of Microsoft.

Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 65,290 shares of the software giant's stock, valued at approximately $24,168,000. Microsoft accounts for about 6.1% of Knuff & Co LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Frankly Finances LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd bought a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth about $60,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth about $101,000. Finally, Glynn Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 34.2% in the 2nd quarter. Glynn Capital Management LLC now owns 255 shares of the software giant's stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $535.07 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $501.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $434.73. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $553.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market cap of $3.97 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This is a positive change from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is 20.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value of $20,764,903.98. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 533,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $265,888,830.48. This represents a 7.24% 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. Insiders have sold 143,009 shares of company stock valued at $71,420,699 in the last 90 days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on MSFT. CLSA reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $550.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $640.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $540.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut shares of Microsoft from an "overweight" rating to a "negative" rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Forty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $578.73.

More Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft introduced Microsoft-Decision-1, an AI model it says makes decisions substantially faster than GPT-6 Sol. The launch reinforces Microsoft’s competitive position in enterprise AI and could support demand for Azure and Copilot services. Microsoft launches Microsoft-Decision-1
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and investor commentary remains bullish on Microsoft’s AI stack, Azure acceleration, Copilot adoption and a large reported backlog. Wells Fargo reportedly raised its price target to $725, while Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a Buy rating with a $600 target. Morgan Stanley rating
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is attempting to revive Windows and expand on-device AI with new Nvidia-powered Surface hardware, including the premium Surface Laptop Ultra. Local AI processing could strengthen the Windows ecosystem and stimulate higher-value PC sales. Surface Laptop Ultra
• Positive Sentiment: The company is nearing a $4 trillion market capitalization after a strong earnings beat, with revenue and earnings growth continuing to support the recent rally. The next major test is Microsoft’s expected October 28 earnings report. Microsoft approaches $4 trillion valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft’s new Xbox division, focused on film, television, events and theme parks, could expand the reach of its gaming franchises, although the strategy is unlikely to materially affect near-term financial results. Microsoft forms new Xbox unit
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. suspension of Microsoft’s PERM green-card sponsorship program creates hiring and retention uncertainty, particularly for specialized AI and engineering workers. Investors are weighing potential compliance costs and the risk of an “AI brain drain.” U.S. suspends Microsoft green-card program
• Negative Sentiment: Italy launched an EU-backed antitrust investigation into Microsoft-owned game companies over virtual currencies, adding regulatory risk to the gaming business. Italy gaming investigation

Microsoft Company 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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