Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Acquired by Cooper Financial Group

Key Points

• Cooper Financial Group increased its Microsoft holding by 9.1% in the third quarter, bringing its stake to 64,731 shares valued at about $33.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 71.13% of Microsoft.
• Microsoft beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with EPS of $4.89 and revenue of $92.28 billion, up 18.8% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend from $0.91 to $0.98 per share.
• Analysts’ consensus rating is Moderate Buy, with an average price target of $609.54. Recent reports point to Microsoft consolidating AI-computing partnerships and reassessing capacity commitments, amid scrutiny of data-center costs and returns.

Cooper Financial Group increased its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 64,731 shares of the software giant's stock after buying an additional 5,387 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for approximately 2.7% of Cooper Financial Group's investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Cooper Financial Group's holdings in Microsoft were worth $33,201,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth $27,338,370,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the second quarter valued at $18,306,443,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the second quarter valued at $6,928,664,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth $5,653,812,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth $4,000,706,000. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In related news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares of the company's stock, valued at $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through 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 firm's stock in a transaction on 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 $265,888,830.48. The trade was a 7.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 three months, insiders have sold 135,504 shares of company stock worth $68,138,024. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MSFT shares. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Yorkville Ives initiated coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Monday, October 5th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $615.00 price objective on the stock. KeyCorp set a $625.00 target price on Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Evercore raised shares of Microsoft from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. One equities 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $609.54.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s free-cash-flow position may offer some reassurance: an analysis notes that several other major AI hyperscalers are generating negative free cash flow, while Microsoft is generating positive cash flow. Is Microsoft Getting Enough Credit for Better Free Cash Flow Compared to its Peers?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say Microsoft plans to reduce the number of neocloud partners it uses, wind down rented AI capacity from Oracle, and declined a Texas data-center expansion with Nscale. This could help control costs and give Microsoft tighter oversight as it builds its own infrastructure, but the implications for capacity growth remain uncertain. Microsoft plans to use fewer neoclouds as AI buildout shows signs of strain
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may read the canceled or reduced AI-computing commitments as a sign that Microsoft is reassessing demand, project timing, or returns on its data-center spending. The shift comes as reports highlight construction delays and the rising cost of meeting a growing AI backlog, intensifying scrutiny of whether heavy investment will pay off. Microsoft is winding down Oracle deal to rent AI cloud capacity, Bloomberg News reports
• Negative Sentiment: Broader unease around AI spending and tech-market volatility may also weigh on MSFT, as investors question the scale of data-center investment relative to future cash returns. Microsoft and Oracle's AI ambitions are suddenly a lot more expensive

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $530.61 on Monday. 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $516.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $440.18. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $349.20 and a 1-year high of $559.15. The company has a market cap of $3.94 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.69, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.05.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.72 by $0.17. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.28% and a net margin of 41.17%. The business had revenue of $92.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $90.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.13 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.92 EPS 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 paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. This is a boost from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft's payout ratio is currently 20.46%.

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.

Microsoft serves customers around the world through its products, online platforms, and network of business partners.

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