68,966 Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Bought by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Key Points

• Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its Microsoft position by 17% in the second quarter, buying 68,966 shares to hold 474,527 shares valued at approximately $177.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 71.13% of Microsoft.
• Microsoft insiders sold shares recently, including CEO Satya Nadella’s sale of 86,525 shares for about $43.4 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Analysts remain broadly positive, with 43 Buy ratings and an average price target of $592.15, despite some recent downgrades.
• Microsoft reported quarterly revenue of $90.01 billion and EPS of $4.74, exceeding analyst expectations, while revenue grew 17.7% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.98, or $3.92 annually, representing a 0.7% yield.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 17.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 474,527 shares of the software giant's stock after buying an additional 68,966 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up about 1.6% of Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $177,062,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its stake in Microsoft by 4.0% during the second quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 229,490 shares of the software giant's stock worth $85,604,000 after acquiring an additional 8,773 shares during the period. D.B. Root & Company LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at $3,652,000. Dearborn Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth about $75,641,000. Henson Edgewater Management LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,430,000. Finally, Markel Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 537,630 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $199,014,000 after buying an additional 1,950 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total transaction of $2,388,068.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,188,276.96. This trade represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares of the company's stock, valued at $244,092,173.98. This trade represents a 15.09% 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 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MSFT shares. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Microsoft from an "overweight" rating to a "negative" rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Argus lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $620.00 to $510.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Microsoft from $600.00 to $636.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Needham & Company LLC began coverage on Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane downgraded shares of Microsoft from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Forty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $592.15.

Trending Headlines about 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

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $524.51 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.90 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $349.20 and a 52 week high of $553.72. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $508.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $446.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The business's revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.65 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft's payout ratio is presently 20.27%.

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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