IPG Investment Advisors LLC Sells 1,080 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• IPG Investment Advisors reduced its Microsoft stake by 1,080 shares, or 2.9%, in the second quarter, retaining 36,400 shares valued at $13.58 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: Microsoft has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $609.54, despite some recent rating downgrades.
• Microsoft beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with revenue up 18.8% year over year, and raised its quarterly dividend from $0.91 to $0.98 per share.

IPG Investment Advisors LLC lessened its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 2.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,400 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 1,080 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for about 2.0% of IPG Investment Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. IPG Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $13,578,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Box Hill Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Microsoft by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Box Hill Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,272 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,593,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Microsoft by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,473 shares of the software giant's stock worth $549,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC now owns 687 shares of the software giant's stock worth $256,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Mann Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Microsoft by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Mann Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,921 shares of the software giant's stock worth $717,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC now owns 5,543 shares of the software giant's stock worth $2,052,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSFT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of Microsoft from $608.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Griffin Securities cut shares of Microsoft from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $640.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Microsoft from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lowered Microsoft from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $609.54.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Azure’s reported 48% growth helped lift Microsoft amid an AI-related tech rebound. Commentary also points to AI demand exceeding available capacity and argues Microsoft can fund its expansion from strong cash flow—an advantage as investors scrutinize rivals’ borrowing and spending. Article: What's Going on with Microsoft Stock on Tuesday? Article: Why Microsoft Was Rewarded for Spending Less on AI
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s AI tools may reach a broader base of PC users: the company says AI can run on a computer with 8GB of memory, potentially supporting adoption of Copilot and related services. Article: AI on an 8GB PC? Yes, Says Microsoft
• Neutral Sentiment: Xbox’s reveal of a new Elder Scrolls title drew attention to Microsoft’s gaming business, but the article provides no indication of near-term financial impact. Article: Microsoft Stock Rises After The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel Reveal
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha contributor downgraded Microsoft, arguing that the easiest gains may be behind the stock—an assessment that could temper expectations after its recent strength. Article: Microsoft: The Easy Gains Are Already Over (Downgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s reported $45.2 billion in quarterly capital spending, largely for AI, underscores the risk that infrastructure costs could weigh on cash flow before returns fully materialize. Reports of buyouts offered to roughly 60,000 employees may also prompt questions about workforce changes. Article: 5 questions to ask if your boss offers you a buyout

Insider Activity

In other Microsoft news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This trade represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total value of $3,984,293.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 555,396 shares in the company, valued at $302,924,086.32. The trade was a 1.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 135,504 shares of company stock valued at $68,138,024. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of MSFT opened at $520.99 on Wednesday. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $349.20 and a 52-week high of $551.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.22. The business's 50 day moving average price is $514.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $438.92. The firm has a market cap of $3.87 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.05.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $92.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.28% and a net margin of 41.17%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.13 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a boost from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.00%.

Microsoft Profile

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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