Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by CENTRAL TRUST Co

Key Points

• CENTRAL TRUST Co trimmed its Microsoft stake by 1.5% in the first quarter, selling 3,612 shares and ending the period with 231,935 shares valued at about $85.9 million.
• Microsoft reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.27 versus $4.06 expected and revenue of $82.89 billion, up 18.3% year over year. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share.
• Despite solid fundamentals, Microsoft faces a mix of sentiment pressure and support: analysts have become more cautious in some cases, insiders have been selling shares, and the stock has also drawn bullish attention from investors like Michael Burry and strategists calling recent weakness a buying opportunity.

CENTRAL TRUST Co decreased its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 1.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 231,935 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 3,612 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for approximately 1.7% of CENTRAL TRUST Co's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. CENTRAL TRUST Co's holdings in Microsoft were worth $85,855,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Rochester Wealth Strategies LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 2.9% in the third quarter. Rochester Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 700 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 51.3% during the 2nd quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Shepherd Kaplan Krochuk LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Shepherd Kaplan Krochuk LLC now owns 431 shares of the software giant's stock worth $223,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Fischer Investment Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Fischer Investment Strategies LLC now owns 697 shares of the software giant's stock worth $337,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pollock Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Microsoft by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pollock Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,805 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,453,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Some bullish voices argue the selloff has made Microsoft look oversold, with analysts and strategists like Dan Ives calling the pullback a buying opportunity and pointing to Microsoft’s long-term AI and cloud strength. Dan Ives Says the $3 Trillion Tech Wipeout Is a Buying Opportunity. Here’s His Case
• Positive Sentiment: Michael Burry disclosed long-dated call options on Microsoft, a signal that at least one high-profile investor sees significant upside over the next several years. “Big Short” Legend Michael Burry Just Bet Big on Microsoft
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft also announced new enterprise partnerships, including integrations that expand its cloud, AI, and cybersecurity ecosystem, which supports the long-term growth story. Microsoft (MSFT) Expands Operations With a New Strategic Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles frame the stock’s recent weakness as a value-versus-trap debate, reflecting uncertainty rather than a clear new catalyst. Microsoft Stock: Value Trap or Buying Opportunity?
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft is also facing fresh regulatory and legal scrutiny, including an EU gatekeeper review, an Italy antitrust probe, and a copyright lawsuit tied to AI training data, which adds headline risk. Microsoft (MSFT) Faces EU Gatekeeper Move And Italy Antitrust Probe
• Negative Sentiment: Brokerage sentiment has also turned more cautious, with Stifel cutting its price target and keeping a Hold rating amid margin concerns. Stifel Lowers PT on Microsoft (MSFT), Maintains a Hold Rating
• Negative Sentiment: Investor lawsuits and class-action notices related to alleged securities fraud and Copilot deficiencies are adding to sentiment pressure around the stock. Deadline Alert: Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Shareholders Who Lost Money Urged To Contact Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP About Securities Fraud Lawsuit

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 1,262 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $411.34, for a total value of $519,111.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,922,874.02. This trade represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 15,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.99, for a total transaction of $7,145,345.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 110,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at $50,928,792.23. This trade represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 23,762 shares of company stock worth $10,508,361. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Down 1.2%

Microsoft stock opened at $368.57 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.74 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $349.20 and a twelve month high of $555.45. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $409.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $420.11.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.06 by $0.21. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.94% and a net margin of 39.34%.The firm had revenue of $82.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $81.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.46 EPS. Microsoft's revenue for the quarter was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on MSFT. New Street Research decreased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $675.00 to $600.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on shares of Microsoft from $556.00 to $555.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $415.00 to $400.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Microsoft to a "buy" rating and set a $485.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Forty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $560.86.

Microsoft Profile

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft develops, licenses and supports a broad range of software products, services and devices for consumers, enterprises and governments worldwide. Its operations span personal computing, productivity software, cloud infrastructure, enterprise applications, developer tools and gaming.

Microsoft's product portfolio includes the Windows operating system and the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity and collaboration tools (Office apps, Outlook, Teams).

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