Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by Leuthold Group LLC

Key Points

• Leuthold Group reduced its Microsoft stake by 3.2% in the second quarter, selling 1,531 shares and retaining 46,640 shares valued at $17.4 million. Other institutional investors increased their positions, and institutions collectively own 71.13% of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with 43 Buy ratings, four Holds and one Sell; Microsoft has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $569.29. Insiders, however, sold 143,009 shares worth approximately $71.4 million during the quarter.
• Microsoft reported quarterly earnings and revenue above expectations, with earnings per share of $4.74 and revenue of $90.01 billion, up 17.7% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.98 per share, or $3.92 annually.

Leuthold Group LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,640 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 1,531 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up about 1.7% of Leuthold Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Leuthold Group LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $17,398,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. River Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 4.5% during the second quarter. River Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 88,060 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $32,848,000 after buying an additional 3,755 shares during the last quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 12.2% during the second quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. now owns 51,587 shares of the software giant's stock worth $19,042,000 after acquiring an additional 5,609 shares in the last quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 21,223 shares of the software giant's stock worth $7,917,000 after acquiring an additional 827 shares during the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp lifted its position in Microsoft by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 19,471 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $7,263,000 after acquiring an additional 1,957 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its position in Microsoft by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 8,894 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $3,317,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 100,447 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 143,009 shares of company stock worth $71,420,699. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $660.00 price objective on Microsoft in a report on Monday, August 10th. CLSA restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, July 30th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. UBS Group initiated coverage on Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Forty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $569.29.

Microsoft Stock Performance

MSFT stock opened at $508.96 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market cap of $3.78 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a 50 day moving average of $482.29 and a 200-day moving average of $427.75. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $553.72.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.65 earnings per share. Microsoft's revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This is a positive change from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.27%.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Copilot remains the primary catalyst. Jefferies reiterated its bullish view, citing Microsoft’s redesigned Copilot, new usage-based revenue opportunities and potential for paid Copilot seats to double over the next year. Enterprise AI adoption, however, is expected to build gradually. Jefferies Doubles Down on Microsoft's Copilot Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see further upside. JPMorgan maintained a Buy rating with a $625 target, while RBC reportedly set a $640 target, supported by Azure growth, Copilot adoption and Microsoft’s expanding AI infrastructure. The stock is also on track for its strongest quarterly performance in decades, reflecting a market “flight to quality.” Microsoft Stock Surges Past $500
• Positive Sentiment: Azure and enterprise demand support the long-term case. Recent commentary points to Azure growth above 40%, rapidly increasing Copilot seats and a commercial backlog approaching $700 billion. Microsoft is also bringing OpenAI’s autonomous “Dots” AI workers into its enterprise security ecosystem, potentially expanding cloud and software consumption. Microsoft Brings OpenAI's Autonomous Dots AI Workers Into the Enterprise
• Neutral Sentiment: AI policy developments remain mixed. President Trump reaffirmed support for data centers and announced voluntary AI controls with Microsoft and other technology companies, potentially easing regulatory concerns while leaving uncertainty over whether voluntary safeguards will be sufficient. At A.I. Event, Trump Asks Meta, OpenAI and Microsoft to Make Safety Decisions Themselves
• Negative Sentiment: Privacy and competitive risks are weighing on sentiment. Reports that humans may review some Copilot prompts have raised data-privacy concerns. OpenAI is also launching workplace features that increasingly resemble Microsoft Office, intensifying the risk that a key partner could compete directly with Microsoft’s software franchise. OpenAI Takes on Microsoft With a ChatGPT Office Suite
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are questioning the cost and valuation of the AI buildout. Microsoft is reducing staff while committing heavily to data centers, and some analysts argue that cash-flow benefits may take longer to materialize. After its rally, elevated expectations leave less room for execution setbacks.

About Microsoft

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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