Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Holdings Lessened by Moore Capital Management LP

Key Points

• Moore Capital Management cut its Microsoft stake by 38.8% in the second quarter, selling 27,941 shares and retaining 44,000 shares valued at approximately $16.4 million.
• Other institutional investors increased their positions, including Alyeska Investment Group, which more than doubled its holdings; institutions collectively own 71.13% of Microsoft’s stock.
• Microsoft exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, raised its quarterly dividend to $0.98, and maintains a “Moderate Buy” consensus analyst rating with an average price target of $592.15.

Moore Capital Management LP lessened its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 38.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 44,000 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 27,941 shares during the quarter. Moore Capital Management LP's holdings in Microsoft were worth $16,413,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Two Sigma Securities LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,245,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its position in Microsoft by 17.0% during the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 474,527 shares of the software giant's stock worth $177,062,000 after acquiring an additional 68,966 shares during the last quarter. GTS Securities LLC lifted its position in Microsoft by 44.6% during the second quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 271,597 shares of the software giant's stock worth $101,311,000 after acquiring an additional 83,734 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its position in Microsoft by 115.4% during the second quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,338,020 shares of the software giant's stock worth $499,108,000 after acquiring an additional 716,806 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jasper Ridge Partners L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 13.9% during the second quarter. Jasper Ridge Partners L.P. now owns 86,470 shares of the software giant's stock worth $32,255,000 after acquiring an additional 10,584 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $524.51 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $553.72. The company's 50 day moving average price is $508.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $446.17. The firm has a market cap of $3.90 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.20, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.10. 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 (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.65 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft's payout ratio is presently 20.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $575.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Microsoft from $700.00 to $725.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, September 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $640.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Yorkville Ives began coverage on Microsoft in a research report on Monday, October 5th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $615.00 price objective on the stock. Forty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $592.15.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Azure and earnings expectations remain strong. Bank of America reaffirmed its Buy rating and forecast approximately 44.8% Azure growth. Analysts expect quarterly results to be broadly in line with estimates, with Azure strength potentially offsetting heavy investment in AI infrastructure. Microsoft Stock Forecast: BofA Reaffirms Buy Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s custom silicon and security businesses could support future cloud margins. The Maia AI accelerator and other internally developed chips may reduce reliance on Nvidia, improve cost control and retain more economics from Microsoft’s AI services. Investors are also watching whether security growth helps offset data-center expenses. Microsoft: Security And Silicon Set The Stage For Cloud Margin Recovery
• Positive Sentiment: Medical AI results add another potential growth opportunity. Microsoft’s MAI-DxO reportedly diagnosed complex cases more than twice as often as general physicians in a simulation, strengthening the company’s positioning in healthcare AI, although commercialization and regulatory hurdles remain. Microsoft develops AI tool that can diagnose sequentially like a doctor
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming report is a major near-term catalyst. Investors will focus on Azure growth, Copilot adoption, AI monetization, capital expenditures, backlog conversion and management’s outlook. The stock is trading near its yearly high, raising expectations for a strong forecast. Microsoft's Earnings Problem: Even Great May Not Be Enough
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending and market conditions could pressure valuation and margins. Investors have recently sold some technology shares when companies raised infrastructure budgets, while a weaker overall market and higher oil prices have added volatility. Microsoft’s large data-center investment must translate into revenue growth to justify the spending. Microsoft Earnings Report To Focus On AI Momentum, Capex
• Negative Sentiment: Operational and product concerns remain. Microsoft withdrew from a U.K. data-center deal because of power-delivery delays, and Xbox cloud-streaming price changes have generated customer friction. Former CEO Bill Gates has also warned about AI safety risks, potentially increasing regulatory scrutiny. Microsoft pulls out of UK Nscale data centre deal over power delay

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total transaction of $2,388,068.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,677 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total value of $4,878,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. This trade represents a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation NASDAQ: MSFT is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.

The company's principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.

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