Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stake Raised by Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC

Key Points

• Avidian Wealth Enterprises increased its Microsoft stake by 4.4% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 71,580 shares valued at approximately $26.7 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 71.13% of Microsoft.
• Microsoft reported quarterly earnings of $4.74 per share and revenue of $90.01 billion, exceeding analyst expectations, while revenue grew 17.7% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.98 per share, an increase from $0.91.
• Wall Street remains broadly optimistic, with 43 analysts rating the stock a Buy and a consensus price target of $569.29. Azure demand and AI expansion are key growth catalysts, although company insiders have sold roughly $71.4 million of stock over the past 90 days.

Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC increased its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 4.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 71,580 shares of the software giant's stock after purchasing an additional 2,993 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for 0.7% of Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $26,701,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Whelan Financial lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 9.3% in the second quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 12,341 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $4,604,000 after purchasing an additional 1,053 shares in the last quarter. Trinity Legacy Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 10.0% during the 2nd quarter. Trinity Legacy Partners LLC now owns 28,022 shares of the software giant's stock worth $11,240,000 after purchasing an additional 2,546 shares during the last quarter. Noble Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,172,000. Columbia Bank grew its holdings in Microsoft by 12.2% during the 2nd quarter. Columbia Bank now owns 47,249 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $17,625,000 after buying an additional 5,127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in Microsoft by 17.0% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 474,527 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $177,062,000 after buying an additional 68,966 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $497.93 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.70 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $349.20 and a 52 week high of $553.72. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $475.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $425.54.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.65 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.62 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This is an increase from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft's payout ratio is currently 20.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MSFT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, July 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $660.00 price objective on Microsoft in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Citigroup reissued a "market outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of Microsoft from $522.00 to $608.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Benchmark restated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, July 24th. Forty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $569.29.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism is increasing. Stifel upgraded Microsoft to Buy from Hold and raised its price target to $575, citing Azure and Copilot growth, durable margins, and a path for AI spending to produce stronger revenue. Jefferies also reaffirmed its Buy rating, while other analysts highlighted potential upside. Why These Wall Street Analysts Think Microsoft Stock Is Getting Back on Track
• Positive Sentiment: Azure demand remains the central growth catalyst. Reports point to a roughly $678 billion backlog and the need for Microsoft to add data-center capacity quickly enough to serve existing customers. Azure Red Hat OpenShift for Azure Government also received DoD Impact Level 5 certification, expanding its use among government and highly regulated customers. Azure Red Hat OpenShift Achieves IL5 Certification
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is expanding its AI infrastructure footprint. The company plans to invest more than $10 billion in Gulf-region cloud, AI, connectivity and cybersecurity infrastructure through 2030, potentially supporting long-term regional demand. Microsoft Plans Gulf Investment

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In related news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This trade represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were 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. 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 143,009 shares of company stock valued at $71,420,699. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

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. Its products and services include the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 productivity applications, Teams collaboration software, Dynamics business applications and Azure cloud computing services.

The company also operates LinkedIn, GitHub and Xbox, which includes gaming consoles, video games and related online services.

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