Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Newly Purchased by Lotus Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Lotus Asset Management opened a new Microsoft position in the second quarter, buying 3,968 shares worth about $1.48 million; the stock represents 1.3% of its portfolio.
• Microsoft reported quarterly earnings of $4.89 per share and revenue of $92.28 billion, beating analyst estimates, while revenue grew 18.8% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.98 per share.
• Executives Amy Hood and Satya Nadella sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans; insiders sold 135,504 shares worth about $68.1 million over three months. Meanwhile, analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy,” with a $609.54 average price target.

Lotus Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 3,968 shares of the software giant's stock, valued at approximately $1,481,000. Microsoft comprises 1.3% of Lotus Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MSFT. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 4.0% in the second quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 229,490 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $85,604,000 after buying an additional 8,773 shares during the period. D.B. Root & Company LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter valued at $3,652,000. Dearborn Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth about $75,641,000. GTS Securities LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 44.6% during the 2nd quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 271,597 shares of the software giant's stock worth $101,311,000 after acquiring an additional 83,734 shares during the period. Finally, Henson Edgewater Management LLC acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth about $9,430,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value of $20,764,903.98. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 533,624 shares in the company, valued at $265,888,830.48. The trade was a 7.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, 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 business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. The trade was 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 135,504 shares of company stock valued at $68,138,024. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Microsoft News Summary

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSFT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC began coverage on Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $640.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. KeyCorp set a $625.00 target price on Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Microsoft from $510.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on Microsoft from $586.00 to $595.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $609.54.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $520.99 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $514.06 and a 200-day moving average of $438.92. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $349.20 and a one year high of $551.15. The company 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.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $92.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.28% and a net margin of 41.17%. The company's revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.13 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a 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 currently 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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