Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Holdings Cut by SkyView Investment Advisors LLC

Key Points

• SkyView Investment Advisors cut its Microsoft stake by 83.6% in the second quarter, selling 11,174 shares and retaining 2,200 shares worth about $821,000. Institutional investors overall owned 71.13% of Microsoft stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: 45 analysts rated the stock Buy and four rated it Hold, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $609.54.
• Microsoft beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with revenue up 18.8% year over year to $92.28 billion. The company also raised its quarterly dividend from $0.91 to $0.98 per share.

SkyView Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 83.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,200 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 11,174 shares during the quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $821,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MSFT. Revere Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter valued at about $298,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Microsoft in the second quarter worth about $3,820,000. Marathon Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Microsoft by 4.2% in the second quarter. Marathon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 26,552 shares of the software giant's stock worth $9,904,000 after buying an additional 1,081 shares during the last quarter. U S Wealth Group LLC. raised its holdings in Microsoft by 39.3% in the second quarter. U S Wealth Group LLC. now owns 15,220 shares of the software giant's stock worth $5,677,000 after buying an additional 4,292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rench Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.6% in the second quarter. Rench Wealth Management Inc. now owns 47,939 shares of the software giant's stock worth $17,882,000 after buying an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSFT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Citizens Jmp upped their price objective on Microsoft from $550.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $609.54.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $555.80 on Thursday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $515.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $439.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market cap of $4.13 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.01, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.05. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $349.20 and a 52-week high of $559.15.

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

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.98 dividend. This is an increase from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is 19.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total transaction of $3,984,293.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 555,396 shares of the company's stock, valued at $302,924,086.32. This represents a 1.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This trade represents a 15.09% 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 135,504 shares of company stock valued at $68,138,024. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

More Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cloud and AI results supported the rally. Microsoft’s fiscal first-quarter revenue rose 19% year over year to $92.28 billion, beating estimates, while Azure growth accelerated and AI adoption continued to expand. Reports also highlighted a $677 billion commercial backlog as evidence of future demand. Article: MSFT Q1 Earnings Call Highlights Azure Growth and AI Spending
• Positive Sentiment: Broader market strength lifted mega-cap technology shares. Microsoft joined a post-election rebound as investors rotated back into AI leaders; the company also reached a record high during the session. Article: Microsoft Stock Hits Record High as Midterm Results Boost AI Infrastructure Bets
• Positive Sentiment: New analytics tools target AI-assisted shopping. Microsoft added features to Clarity that help merchants track how AI agents interact with websites and apps, extending the company’s offerings for businesses adopting agentic AI. Article: Microsoft Clarity Helps Merchants Welcome AI Shopping Agents
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft disclosed a $25 billion senior-notes offering. The debt issuance provides financing flexibility, but also adds borrowing and interest obligations. Article: Microsoft Announces $25 Billion Senior Notes Offering
• Negative Sentiment: AI investment remains a key risk. Analysts and commentary flagged substantial infrastructure spending, possible pressure on free cash flow and margins, and political calls for tighter data-center rules that could constrain future expansion. Article: Microsoft: Don't Get Too Excited About Its Positive FCF

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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