Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC

Key Points

• Galvin Gaustad & Stein cut its Microsoft stake by 2.2%, selling 1,570 shares in the third quarter; it still held 70,581 shares valued at about $36.2 million.
• Microsoft beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue up 18.8% year over year, and raised its quarterly dividend from $0.91 to $0.98 per share.
• Company insiders sold 142,809 shares worth about $72.1 million over the last quarter, with the reported transactions made under pre-arranged trading plans.

Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC lessened its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 70,581 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 1,570 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for about 2.8% of Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $36,201,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hedeker Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Hedeker Wealth LLC now owns 55,236 shares of the software giant's stock worth $20,604,000 after acquiring an additional 3,546 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 8,773 shares during the last quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,652,000. Dearborn Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter worth $75,641,000. Finally, GTS Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 44.6% in the second quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 271,597 shares of the software giant's stock worth $101,311,000 after purchasing an additional 83,734 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.37, for a total transaction of $3,976,622.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 548,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $298,364,297.67. This trade represents a 1.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This trade represents 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. Insiders sold a total of 142,809 shares of company stock valued at $72,114,646 over the last quarter. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft and IBM introduced Imagine Enterprise, a platform combining IBM’s library of more than 6,000 AI agents with Microsoft’s cloud, data and security tools. The partnership could help drive enterprise demand for Microsoft’s AI and cloud services. IBM and Microsoft Announce a New AI Agent Platform Designed for Industry-Specific Transformation
• Positive Sentiment: A five-year partnership with Ohio State University will apply Microsoft’s cloud and AI technology to healthcare, research and education, adding another potential customer and use case. Ohio State and Microsoft announce five-year strategic partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft reportedly urged the administration to drop a proposed ban on Chinese data-center technology, warning that restrictions could complicate data-center deployment. The outcome could affect equipment access and rollout timing. Microsoft presses Trump to scuttle expected ban on Chinese data-center technology
• Negative Sentiment: Anthropic unveiled workplace tools that could compete with Microsoft Office, including spreadsheet-related capabilities. The move raised concerns about competition in Microsoft’s enterprise software business. Anthropic unveils office suite to challenge Microsoft
• Negative Sentiment: A hot inflation report and rising bond yields weighed on the broader market, creating an additional headwind for technology shares. Stock market coverage on inflation and technology shares

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $533.16 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. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $517.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $441.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $559.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.96 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.05.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $92.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.13 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.87 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSFT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday. Citizens Jmp lifted their price target 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. Melius Research raised shares of Microsoft from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $665.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Citigroup restated a "market outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price objective on Microsoft from $550.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $609.54.

About Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices, and digital solutions for consumers, businesses, and public-sector organizations. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the company is headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Its products and services include the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 productivity applications, Azure cloud computing, LinkedIn, GitHub, Surface devices, and Xbox gaming products and services. Microsoft also provides business software, cybersecurity tools, and artificial intelligence technologies.

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