Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Sold by Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Acumen Wealth Advisors reduced its Microsoft stake by 11.5% in the second quarter, selling 4,303 shares and retaining 33,240 shares valued at approximately $12.4 million. Microsoft remains the firm’s ninth-largest holding and represents 2.6% of its portfolio.
• Microsoft reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with revenue rising 17.7% year over year to $90.01 billion and earnings per share of $4.74. Analysts remain broadly optimistic, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $569.29, despite one recent downgrade.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend from $0.91 to $0.98 per share, implying an annualized dividend of $3.92 and a 0.8% yield. Meanwhile, insiders sold 143,009 shares worth approximately $71.4 million over the past 90 days.

Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 33,240 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 4,303 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises approximately 2.6% of Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $12,399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its stake in Microsoft by 5.3% in the second quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 8,894 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $3,317,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 67,743 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $25,269,000 after purchasing an additional 5,115 shares during the last quarter. Old Peak Finance LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 16.7% in the 2nd quarter. Old Peak Finance LLC now owns 4,583 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,710,000 after purchasing an additional 656 shares in the last quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd boosted its stake in Microsoft by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd now owns 10,616 shares of the software giant's stock worth $3,960,000 after purchasing an additional 478 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Willis Investment Counsel grew its position in Microsoft by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 121,147 shares of the software giant's stock worth $45,190,000 after purchasing an additional 7,713 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Copilot remains the primary catalyst. Jefferies reiterated its bullish view, citing Microsoft’s redesigned Copilot, new usage-based revenue opportunities and potential for paid Copilot seats to double over the next year. Enterprise AI adoption, however, is expected to build gradually. Jefferies Doubles Down on Microsoft's Copilot Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see further upside. JPMorgan maintained a Buy rating with a $625 target, while RBC reportedly set a $640 target, supported by Azure growth, Copilot adoption and Microsoft’s expanding AI infrastructure. The stock is also on track for its strongest quarterly performance in decades, reflecting a market “flight to quality.” Microsoft Stock Surges Past $500
• Positive Sentiment: Azure and enterprise demand support the long-term case. Recent commentary points to Azure growth above 40%, rapidly increasing Copilot seats and a commercial backlog approaching $700 billion. Microsoft is also bringing OpenAI’s autonomous “Dots” AI workers into its enterprise security ecosystem, potentially expanding cloud and software consumption. Microsoft Brings OpenAI's Autonomous Dots AI Workers Into the Enterprise
• Neutral Sentiment: AI policy developments remain mixed. President Trump reaffirmed support for data centers and announced voluntary AI controls with Microsoft and other technology companies, potentially easing regulatory concerns while leaving uncertainty over whether voluntary safeguards will be sufficient. At A.I. Event, Trump Asks Meta, OpenAI and Microsoft to Make Safety Decisions Themselves
• Negative Sentiment: Privacy and competitive risks are weighing on sentiment. Reports that humans may review some Copilot prompts have raised data-privacy concerns. OpenAI is also launching workplace features that increasingly resemble Microsoft Office, intensifying the risk that a key partner could compete directly with Microsoft’s software franchise. OpenAI Takes on Microsoft With a ChatGPT Office Suite
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are questioning the cost and valuation of the AI buildout. Microsoft is reducing staff while committing heavily to data centers, and some analysts argue that cash-flow benefits may take longer to materialize. After its rally, elevated expectations leave less room for execution setbacks.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $508.96 on Wednesday. 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 Corporation has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $553.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.78 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.11. The business's 50 day moving average price is $482.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $427.75.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%.The company had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.65 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is an increase from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.27%.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at $265,888,830.48. This 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 143,009 shares of company stock worth $71,420,699. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $586.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, September 21st. Raymond James Financial cut Microsoft from a "moderate buy" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Bank of America lifted 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. Forty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $569.29.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.