Avior Wealth Management LLC Has $21.66 Million Stake in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Avior Wealth Management reduced its Microsoft stake by 6.4% in the second quarter, selling 3,975 shares and retaining 58,055 shares valued at approximately $21.66 million. Institutional investors collectively own 71.13% of Microsoft.
• Microsoft reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.74 and revenue of $90.01 billion; revenue increased 17.7% year over year. The company also declared a $0.91 quarterly dividend, equal to a 0.8% annual yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with 42 Buy ratings, five Holds and a consensus price target of $560.27, although executives sold shares recently and Microsoft stock was trading below its 52-week high.

Avior Wealth Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 58,055 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 3,975 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $21,656,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MSFT. Crescent Sterling Ltd. increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.8% during the second quarter. Crescent Sterling Ltd. now owns 11,584 shares of the software giant's stock worth $4,321,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new position in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,421,000. Brighton Securities CORP. increased its holdings in Microsoft by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. Brighton Securities CORP. now owns 1,329 shares of the software giant's stock worth $496,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 10.5% in the second quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 7,547 shares of the software giant's stock worth $2,815,000 after purchasing an additional 715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carderock Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 1.9% in the second quarter. Carderock Capital Management Inc. now owns 27,435 shares of the software giant's stock worth $10,234,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $481.15 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $553.72. The firm has a market cap of $3.57 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $417.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $408.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.65 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.59 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Microsoft news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. This represents a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 value of $2,388,068.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,677 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Insiders sold a total of 37,310 shares of company stock worth $17,256,219 in the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on MSFT shares. Tigress Financial lifted their target price on Microsoft from $680.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn dropped their price objective on Microsoft from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $540.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $545.00 to $512.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Forty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $560.27.

Microsoft News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Azure demand remains a major support. Microsoft’s reported $678 billion backlog of contracted cloud commitments provides visibility for future revenue and helps defend the company’s aggressive AI infrastructure spending. Microsoft Stock Rises as $678 Billion Backlog Supports AI Spending
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is becoming a significant Azure AI customer. Meta reportedly spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually on Azure and consumes large volumes of AI tokens, reinforcing demand for Microsoft’s cloud and AI services. Meta Platforms Emerges as a Major Microsoft Azure AI Client
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft continues investing in AI capabilities. The company is increasing fiscal 2027 capital expenditures to expand infrastructure, while internally developed AI chips could improve efficiency and margins over time. Its latest quarterly results also showed strong earnings and 17.7% year-over-year revenue growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft is hiring AI-capable legal talent and reportedly offering compensation of up to $279,000 for a legal engineer. The move highlights the company’s effort to integrate AI into commercial and compliance operations but is unlikely to materially affect near-term results. Microsoft Will Pay Up to $279K for a Lawyer Who Can Build AI
• Negative Sentiment: Higher yields are pressuring long-duration AI valuations. Rising interest rates reduce the present value of projected future AI profits, contributing to market questions despite Microsoft’s backlog and operating strength. Microsoft Slips as 4.68% Yield Tests Its $678 Billion Backlog
• Negative Sentiment: Technology stocks broadly declined Thursday afternoon, adding sector-driven pressure to MSFT. Investors are also monitoring concerns that large AI companies buying services from one another could create circular demand signals.
• Negative Sentiment: Microsoft faces geopolitical and execution risks. China is accelerating its move away from Windows, while continued AI capital spending raises questions about returns on investment. Recent insider activity also shows executive selling without reported purchases, a modest negative sentiment signal.

Microsoft Profile

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft develops, licenses and supports a broad range of software products, services and devices for consumers, enterprises and governments worldwide. Its operations span personal computing, productivity software, cloud infrastructure, enterprise applications, developer tools and gaming.

Microsoft's product portfolio includes the Windows operating system and the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity and collaboration tools (Office apps, Outlook, Teams).

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