Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Acquired by Wedmont Private Capital

Key Points

• Wedmont Private Capital increased its Microsoft stake by 44.2% in the third quarter, adding 45,065 shares to hold 147,027 shares valued at about $76.8 million.
• Microsoft reported quarterly EPS of $4.89 and revenue of $92.28 billion, beating estimates; revenue rose 18.8% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend from $0.91 to $0.98 per share.
• Analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $609.54. Meanwhile, insiders sold a combined 147,809 shares worth about $74.8 million over the past 90 days.

Wedmont Private Capital raised its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 44.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 147,027 shares of the software giant's stock after purchasing an additional 45,065 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up approximately 1.8% of Wedmont Private Capital's holdings, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Wedmont Private Capital's holdings in Microsoft were worth $76,838,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Intelligence Driven Advisers LLC boosted its position in Microsoft by 14.4% during the third quarter. Intelligence Driven Advisers LLC now owns 7,356 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $3,773,000 after buying an additional 924 shares during the period. Athena Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 13.1% in the third quarter. Athena Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,077 shares of the software giant's stock worth $5,169,000 after buying an additional 1,164 shares during the period. Central Bank & Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 2.9% in the third quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 37,923 shares of the software giant's stock worth $19,451,000 after buying an additional 1,052 shares during the period. Brown Shipley& Co Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 1.0% in the third quarter. Brown Shipley& Co Ltd now owns 55,366 shares of the software giant's stock worth $28,397,000 after buying an additional 570 shares during the period. Finally, Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 3,524 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,807,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

More Microsoft News

Here's some of the latest news about MSFT:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s upcoming Ignite conference is drawing attention to Azure and Copilot developments, reinforcing the company’s AI-growth story. Bill Ackman also described Microsoft’s competitive position as “really, really strong,” arguing that enterprise relationships and its established products remain valuable. Microsoft Is Off Its Record High. Next Week Could See the Stock Reignited. Bill Ackman says Microsoft's position is strong
• Neutral Sentiment: Griffin Securities downgraded Microsoft to neutral despite Azure’s reported 48% growth, adding a cautious analyst view amid market volatility. Azure Grew 48%, Yet Griffin Securities Downgraded Microsoft
• Negative Sentiment: Two Microsoft executives reported share sales. Such transactions can weigh on sentiment, although they do not by themselves establish a negative outlook; Amy Hood’s sale was under a pre-arranged trading plan. SEC filing for Takeshi Numoto transaction

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $531.00, for a total value of $2,655,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 54,412 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,892,772. This trade represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 7.24% 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 147,809 shares of company stock valued at $74,769,646 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup restated a "market outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Melius Research upgraded 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. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Microsoft from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lowered Microsoft from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $609.54.

Microsoft Price Performance

MSFT stock opened at $523.00 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.30, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.05. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $518.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $441.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $559.15.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $92.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 41.17% and a return on equity of 31.28%. Microsoft's revenue for the quarter was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 19.00%.

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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