Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Position Reduced by First National Bank of Omaha

Key Points

• First National Bank of Omaha reduced its Microsoft stake by 2.5%, selling 5,639 shares and retaining 223,463 shares valued at approximately $83.0 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 71.13% of Microsoft.
• Wall Street remains broadly bullish: 42 analysts rate Microsoft a Buy, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $578.73.
• Microsoft reported quarterly revenue of $90.01 billion, up 17.7% year over year, and adjusted EPS of $4.74, exceeding estimates. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.98 per share.

First National Bank of Omaha reduced its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 223,463 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 5,639 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises about 2.3% of First National Bank of Omaha's holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding. First National Bank of Omaha's holdings in Microsoft were worth $82,973,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Friedenthal Financial increased its stake in Microsoft by 6.2% during the first quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 431 shares of the software giant's stock worth $160,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Sequent Planning LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.7% in the first quarter. Sequent Planning LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,382,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 3.8% in the second quarter. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC now owns 687 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.5% in the first quarter. Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC now owns 5,543 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $2,052,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Investment Services Inc. increased its stake in Microsoft by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. American Investment Services Inc. now owns 876 shares of the software giant's stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSFT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $540.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Microsoft from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Microsoft from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $530.00 to $575.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $700.00 to $725.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Forty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $578.73.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft introduced Microsoft-Decision-1, an AI model it says makes decisions substantially faster than GPT-6 Sol. The launch reinforces Microsoft’s competitive position in enterprise AI and could support demand for Azure and Copilot services. Microsoft launches Microsoft-Decision-1
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and investor commentary remains bullish on Microsoft’s AI stack, Azure acceleration, Copilot adoption and a large reported backlog. Wells Fargo reportedly raised its price target to $725, while Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a Buy rating with a $600 target. Morgan Stanley rating
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is attempting to revive Windows and expand on-device AI with new Nvidia-powered Surface hardware, including the premium Surface Laptop Ultra. Local AI processing could strengthen the Windows ecosystem and stimulate higher-value PC sales. Surface Laptop Ultra
• Positive Sentiment: The company is nearing a $4 trillion market capitalization after a strong earnings beat, with revenue and earnings growth continuing to support the recent rally. The next major test is Microsoft’s expected October 28 earnings report. Microsoft approaches $4 trillion valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft’s new Xbox division, focused on film, television, events and theme parks, could expand the reach of its gaming franchises, although the strategy is unlikely to materially affect near-term financial results. Microsoft forms new Xbox unit
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. suspension of Microsoft’s PERM green-card sponsorship program creates hiring and retention uncertainty, particularly for specialized AI and engineering workers. Investors are weighing potential compliance costs and the risk of an “AI brain drain.” U.S. suspends Microsoft green-card program
• Negative Sentiment: Italy launched an EU-backed antitrust investigation into Microsoft-owned game companies over virtual currencies, adding regulatory risk to the gaming business. Italy gaming investigation

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the firm'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 sale, the executive vice president owned 533,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $265,888,830.48. This trade represents a 7.24% 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 this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,188,276.96. This trade represents a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 143,009 shares of company stock worth $71,420,699. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Microsoft Stock Up 2.4%

MSFT stock opened at $535.07 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $501.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $434.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.97 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $349.20 and a 12 month high of $553.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.65 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. 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. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Microsoft's payout ratio is currently 20.27%.

Microsoft Company Profile

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices, gaming products and business solutions. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the company is best known for the Windows operating system and Microsoft Office productivity software. Microsoft is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, and serves consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.

Microsoft's productivity and business offerings include Microsoft 365 applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, along with collaboration tools including Teams.

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