MCF Advisors LLC Purchases 6,494 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• MCF Advisors increased its Microsoft stake by 14.7% in the second quarter, buying 6,494 shares to hold 50,790 shares valued at $18.95 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the stock.
• Microsoft reported quarterly earnings of $4.89 per share, beating estimates of $4.72, while revenue rose 18.8% year over year to $92.28 billion.
• Microsoft raised its quarterly dividend from $0.91 to $0.98 per share, equivalent to $3.92 annually and a 0.8% yield. Insiders also sold 135,504 shares worth about $68.1 million over the past 90 days, through pre-arranged trading plans.

MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 14.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 50,790 shares of the software giant's stock after buying an additional 6,494 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $18,946,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth about $27,338,370,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.9% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 64,375,360 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $24,013,297,000 after purchasing an additional 543,172 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter worth $18,306,443,000. Amundi lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 46,694,778 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $17,418,076,000 after purchasing an additional 5,019,702 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 10.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 29,323,744 shares of the software giant's stock worth $10,852,884,000 after purchasing an additional 2,784,809 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total transaction of $3,984,293.10. Following the sale, 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. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares of the company's stock, valued at $244,092,173.98. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their position. 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 have sold 135,504 shares of company stock worth $68,138,024. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MSFT shares. BNP Paribas Exane cut shares of Microsoft from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $586.00 to $595.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $640.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wolfe Research upgraded Microsoft from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, October 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $609.54.

Key Headlines Impacting 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

Microsoft Stock Up 2.7%

MSFT opened at $520.99 on Wednesday. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $349.20 and a 12 month high of $551.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market cap of $3.87 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.05. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $514.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $438.92.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.72 by $0.17. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.28% and a net margin of 41.17%. The firm had revenue of $92.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.13 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is 19.00%.

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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