Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Position Increased by Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.

Key Points

• Nippon Life Global Investors Americas increased its Microsoft position by 2.8% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 355,050 shares valued at approximately $132.4 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 71.13% of Microsoft.
• Microsoft reported strong quarterly results, with revenue rising 17.7% year over year to $90.01 billion and EPS of $4.74, exceeding analyst expectations. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $578.73.
• Insiders have been selling shares, including CEO Judson Althoff and EVP Takeshi Numoto; insiders sold 143,009 shares worth approximately $71.4 million over the past 90 days. Microsoft also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.98 per share.

Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. raised its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 355,050 shares of the software giant's stock after purchasing an additional 9,790 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises approximately 5.3% of Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $132,441,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. J.Safra Asset Management Corp lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 2.0% in the second quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 37,914 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $14,143,000 after acquiring an additional 757 shares in the last quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its position in Microsoft by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 628,158 shares of the software giant's stock worth $234,315,000 after purchasing an additional 34,498 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC raised its stake in Microsoft by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC now owns 20,304 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $7,574,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at about $90,280,000. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at about $74,604,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In related news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 100,447 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. This represents a 9.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were 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 owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at $21,188,276.96. The trade was a 10.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 143,009 shares of company stock valued at $71,420,699. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Microsoft News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Melius Research upgraded Microsoft to Buy from Hold and raised its price target to $665. The firm said rising corporate concerns about AI risks could increase demand for Microsoft’s security, governance and compliance products, while positioning Azure as a relatively dependable way to participate in the AI trend. Microsoft stock rises as Melius upgrades to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Broad market strength also supported MSFT. The Nasdaq reached a record as megacap technology stocks rallied on optimism about earnings growth, with Microsoft among the sector leaders. Expectations for strong technology-sector profits continue to support investor appetite for the shares. Nasdaq hits record as megacap gains offset elevated Treasury yields
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft continues expanding Copilot’s enterprise usefulness. Wood Mackenzie connected its proprietary energy data and analytics to Microsoft Copilot through a new Model Context Protocol connector, providing another example of specialized business content being integrated into Microsoft’s AI ecosystem. Wood Mackenzie connects energy intelligence with Microsoft Copilot
• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming Xbox and Xbox Game Pass releases provided a smaller consumer-business catalyst. New game launches may support engagement and subscription activity, although the impact is likely less significant than Azure and AI developments. Microsoft stock rises ahead of new Xbox game releases
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft and Meta reportedly encouraged employees to reduce their use of Anthropic’s Claude in favor of internal AI tools. The move could lower Microsoft’s external AI expenses and strengthen Copilot adoption, but it also indicates ongoing competition and uncertainty over which AI models will deliver the best economics. Microsoft and Meta steer staff from Anthropic Claude to in-house AI
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon hired longtime Microsoft AI executive Pedram Rezaei, formerly associated with Copilot. The departure could raise concerns about retaining senior AI talent as cloud and software rivals intensify their competition. Amazon hires a Microsoft AI leader
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain focused on execution risks. Microsoft’s large backlog offers revenue visibility, but the timing of recognition, infrastructure spending and cash conversion could limit near-term benefits. Questions also remain about whether Copilot can become a breakout AI application. How much revenue visibility does Microsoft’s backlog provide?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Microsoft from $522.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Microsoft from a "moderate buy" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group cut Microsoft from a "buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday. Forty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $578.73.

Microsoft Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $525.18 on Tuesday. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $349.20 and a 52-week high of $553.72. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $492.81 and a 200-day moving average of $431.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.90 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%.The business had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.65 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.62 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. This is a boost 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 payout ratio is currently 20.27%.

Microsoft Company Profile

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices, gaming products and business solutions. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the company is best known for the Windows operating system and Microsoft Office productivity software. Microsoft is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, and serves consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.

Microsoft's productivity and business offerings include Microsoft 365 applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, along with collaboration tools including Teams.

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