Camelot Portfolios LLC Buys 2,570 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Camelot Portfolios nearly doubled its Microsoft stake in the second quarter, purchasing 2,570 additional shares to own 5,287 shares valued at approximately $1.97 million. Institutional investors collectively own 71.13% of Microsoft.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: 43 analysts rate Microsoft a Buy, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $592.15.
• Microsoft reported quarterly earnings and revenue above expectations, while revenue grew 17.7% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.98 per share, though investors continue to monitor heavy AI infrastructure spending and its impact on margins.

Camelot Portfolios LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 94.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,287 shares of the software giant's stock after buying an additional 2,570 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for 1.3% of Camelot Portfolios LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Camelot Portfolios LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $1,972,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MSFT. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 49.8% in the 2nd quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 33,820 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $12,616,000 after acquiring an additional 11,242 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 10.7% in the 2nd quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 183,132 shares of the software giant's stock worth $68,312,000 after purchasing an additional 17,683 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,245,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 17.0% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 474,527 shares of the software giant's stock worth $177,062,000 after purchasing an additional 68,966 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GTS Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 44.6% in the 2nd quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 271,597 shares of the software giant's stock worth $101,311,000 after purchasing an additional 83,734 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSFT has been the subject of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $640.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Stifel Nicolaus raised Microsoft from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $530.00 to $575.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Microsoft from $515.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Tigress Financial increased their price objective on Microsoft from $680.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Forty-three 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $592.15.

More Microsoft News

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 Price Performance

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $524.51 on Friday. 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 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $553.72. The company has a market cap of $3.90 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.20, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.10. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $508.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $446.17.

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

Microsoft Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 42,677 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

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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