Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Position Cut by Bell Asset Management Ltd

Key Points

• Bell Asset Management cut its Microsoft position by 32.9% in the third quarter, selling 19,220 shares and retaining 39,176 shares worth about $20.1 million. Microsoft remained its third-largest holding, at roughly 7.4% of its portfolio.
• Analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $609.54. Microsoft also reported quarterly revenue growth of 18.8% and earnings per share above estimates.
• Microsoft raised its quarterly dividend from $0.91 to $0.98 per share, equivalent to $3.92 annually. The article also noted shares were down 2.2% and that insiders had sold shares recently under pre-arranged trading plans.

Bell Asset Management Ltd lowered its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 32.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,176 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 19,220 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up approximately 7.4% of Bell Asset Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Bell Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Microsoft were worth $20,093,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Grove Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 39,661 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $20,342,000 after purchasing an additional 2,458 shares during the last quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC now owns 12,928 shares of the software giant's stock worth $6,631,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Meadowbrook Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Microsoft by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Meadowbrook Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,336 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $3,250,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC lifted its stake in Microsoft by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 465,911 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $238,966,000 after purchasing an additional 27,517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its position in Microsoft by 1.9% in the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 37,670 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $19,321,000 after buying an additional 688 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSFT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. William Blair initiated coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Monday, October 5th. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Roth Capital initiated coverage on Microsoft in a report on Friday. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets set a $610.00 price objective on Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Microsoft from $500.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average 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 and IBM introduced Imagine Enterprise, a platform combining IBM’s library of more than 6,000 AI agents with Microsoft’s cloud, data and security tools. The partnership could help drive enterprise demand for Microsoft’s AI and cloud services. IBM and Microsoft Announce a New AI Agent Platform Designed for Industry-Specific Transformation
• Positive Sentiment: A five-year partnership with Ohio State University will apply Microsoft’s cloud and AI technology to healthcare, research and education, adding another potential customer and use case. Ohio State and Microsoft announce five-year strategic partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft reportedly urged the administration to drop a proposed ban on Chinese data-center technology, warning that restrictions could complicate data-center deployment. The outcome could affect equipment access and rollout timing. Microsoft presses Trump to scuttle expected ban on Chinese data-center technology
• Negative Sentiment: Anthropic unveiled workplace tools that could compete with Microsoft Office, including spreadsheet-related capabilities. The move raised concerns about competition in Microsoft’s enterprise software business. Anthropic unveils office suite to challenge Microsoft
• Negative Sentiment: A hot inflation report and rising bond yields weighed on the broader market, creating an additional headwind for technology shares. Stock market coverage on inflation and technology shares

Microsoft Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $533.16 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.22. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $349.20 and a 52-week high of $559.15. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $517.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $441.10. The stock has a market cap of $3.96 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.05.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.17. Microsoft had a net margin of 41.17% and a return on equity of 31.28%. The company had revenue of $92.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.13 earnings per share. Microsoft's revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.87 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 given a dividend of $0.98 per share. 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 an increase from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is 19.00%.

Insider Activity

In other Microsoft news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was 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 approximately $244,092,173.98. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $265,888,830.48. This trade represents a 7.24% decrease in their position. 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. Insiders have sold a total of 142,809 shares of company stock worth $72,114,646 over the last ninety days. Company 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. 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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