Impax Asset Management Group plc Purchases 33,535 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Impax Asset Management increased its Microsoft stake by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 33,535 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 1.59 million shares worth about $769.7 million.
• Microsoft reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.27 versus the $4.06 estimate and revenue of $82.89 billion, up 18.3% year over year.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share, while Wall Street remains broadly positive with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $560.88.

Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,591,543 shares of the software giant's stock after purchasing an additional 33,535 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for 4.8% of Impax Asset Management Group plc's portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Impax Asset Management Group plc's holdings in Microsoft were worth $769,702,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 51.3% during the second quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Fairway Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 287.0% during the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 89 shares of the software giant's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the third quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, University of Illinois Foundation bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth approximately $50,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of MSFT opened at $419.09 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $356.28 and a 12 month high of $555.45. The firm's 50 day moving average is $399.10 and its 200-day moving average is $437.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.11 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.06 by $0.21. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.34% and a return on equity of 31.94%. The company had revenue of $82.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $81.44 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.46 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MSFT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Microsoft from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. New Street Research reduced their price objective on Microsoft from $675.00 to $600.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, March 9th. Arete Research boosted their price objective on Microsoft from $730.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their price objective on Microsoft from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Thirty-nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $560.88.

Key Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft and EY announced a $1 billion partnership to help enterprises launch and scale AI projects, which could support future Azure usage and Copilot adoption. Microsoft and EY Team to Promote Corporate AI Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: Reports said Anthropic is in talks to rent servers powered by Microsoft’s Maia AI chips, a sign Microsoft’s in-house silicon strategy may be gaining traction with major AI customers. Anthropic in talks to use Microsoft’s AI chips, The Information reports
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on Microsoft’s AI opportunity, with commentary that AI compute demand is becoming a major growth engine for the company. Microsoft, Oracle Stand To Benefit As AI Compute Becomes The New Oil
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft’s largest data center in India is still on track to open by mid-2026, reinforcing the company’s ongoing global cloud expansion. Microsoft (MSFT)’s Largest Data Center In India Is On Track To Open By Mid-2026
• Negative Sentiment: Some market coverage focused on concerns that Microsoft’s aggressive AI capex could be weighing on sentiment, with investors questioning whether spending is outrunning near-term returns. Microsoft Falls 12% As AI Spending Concerns Pressure S&P 500
• Negative Sentiment: The UK CMA also opened a probe into Microsoft’s software practices, adding a regulatory overhang to the stock. UK CMA Opens Probe Into Microsoft (MSFT) Software Practices

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total transaction of $5,045,695.92. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,486,322.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Amy Coleman sold 1,262 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $411.34, for a total transaction of $519,111.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,003 shares in the company, valued at $18,922,874.02. This represents a 2.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

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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