Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Purchased by Cidel Asset Management Inc.

Key Points

• Cidel Asset Management increased its Microsoft stake by 6% in the second quarter, adding 7,533 shares to reach 132,721 shares valued at about $49.5 million.
• Several other institutional investors also added shares, and institutional investors collectively own 71.13% of Microsoft.
• Microsoft reported quarterly earnings and revenue above analyst expectations, while announcing a dividend increase to $0.98 per share quarterly.

Cidel Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 6.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 132,721 shares of the software giant's stock after purchasing an additional 7,533 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up approximately 2.4% of Cidel Asset Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Cidel Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $49,508,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MinichMacGregor Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 62.5% during the 2nd quarter. MinichMacGregor Wealth Management LLC now owns 41,460 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $15,466,000 after acquiring an additional 15,947 shares during the last quarter. Marion Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 1.7% in the second quarter. Marion Wealth Management now owns 16,999 shares of the software giant's stock worth $6,341,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the period. Bluedoor Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.8% in the second quarter. Bluedoor Private Wealth LLC now owns 11,829 shares of the software giant's stock worth $4,412,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Wolff Financial Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 20.0% during the second quarter. Wolff Financial Management LLC now owns 7,792 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $2,907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,299 shares during the last quarter. Finally, San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 15.3% during the second quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 33,304 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $12,423,000 after purchasing an additional 4,412 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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 a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. William Blair started coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, October 5th. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Citizens Jmp boosted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $550.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Wolfe Research raised Microsoft from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and issued a $600.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, October 12th. One investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $609.54.

Microsoft Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $520.99 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $349.20 and a 12 month high of $551.15. 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $514.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $438.92.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total transaction of $20,764,903.98. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 533,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $265,888,830.48. The trade was a 7.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible 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 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. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 135,504 shares of company stock worth $68,138,024. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Microsoft Company 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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