Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Sold by C WorldWide Group Holding A S

Key Points

• C WorldWide Group cut its Microsoft stake by 19.2% in the second quarter, selling 152,489 shares; it still held 642,401 shares valued at about $239.6 million.
• Microsoft beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with EPS of $4.89 and revenue of $92.28 billion, up 18.8% year over year. Azure growth and strong AI demand were cited as positives, though high AI spending remains a potential cash-flow concern.
• Analysts’ consensus rating was Moderate Buy, with an average price target of $609.54; Microsoft also raised its quarterly dividend from $0.91 to $0.98 per share.

C WorldWide Group Holding A S decreased its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 19.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 642,401 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 152,489 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for approximately 5.9% of C WorldWide Group Holding A S's holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. C WorldWide Group Holding A S's holdings in Microsoft were worth $239,628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Altarock Partners LP increased its position in Microsoft by 25.0% in the 2nd quarter. Altarock Partners LP now owns 2,334,482 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $870,808,000 after acquiring an additional 466,945 shares in the last quarter. Concorde Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 3.7% in the second quarter. Concorde Asset Management LLC now owns 3,698 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,379,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 7.4% in the second quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 88,637 shares of the software giant's stock worth $33,063,000 after acquiring an additional 6,121 shares during the last quarter. Community Bank N.A. lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.7% during the second quarter. Community Bank N.A. now owns 59,967 shares of the software giant's stock worth $22,368,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 5.6% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,661,376 shares of the software giant's stock worth $619,725,000 after purchasing an additional 88,531 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Azure’s reported 48% growth helped lift Microsoft amid an AI-related tech rebound. Commentary also points to AI demand exceeding available capacity and argues Microsoft can fund its expansion from strong cash flow—an advantage as investors scrutinize rivals’ borrowing and spending. Article: What's Going on with Microsoft Stock on Tuesday? Article: Why Microsoft Was Rewarded for Spending Less on AI
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s AI tools may reach a broader base of PC users: the company says AI can run on a computer with 8GB of memory, potentially supporting adoption of Copilot and related services. Article: AI on an 8GB PC? Yes, Says Microsoft
• Neutral Sentiment: Xbox’s reveal of a new Elder Scrolls title drew attention to Microsoft’s gaming business, but the article provides no indication of near-term financial impact. Article: Microsoft Stock Rises After The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel Reveal
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha contributor downgraded Microsoft, arguing that the easiest gains may be behind the stock—an assessment that could temper expectations after its recent strength. Article: Microsoft: The Easy Gains Are Already Over (Downgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s reported $45.2 billion in quarterly capital spending, largely for AI, underscores the risk that infrastructure costs could weigh on cash flow before returns fully materialize. Reports of buyouts offered to roughly 60,000 employees may also prompt questions about workforce changes. Article: 5 questions to ask if your boss offers you a buyout

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Phillip Securities downgraded Microsoft from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $640.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. UBS Group set a $700.00 price objective on Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $609.54.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 533,624 shares in the company, valued at $265,888,830.48. This trade represents a 7.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 135,504 shares of company stock valued at $68,138,024 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Up 2.7%

NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $520.99 on Wednesday. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $551.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.87 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.05. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $514.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $438.92.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $92.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.28% and a net margin of 41.17%. The firm's revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.13 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. This is an increase from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.00%.

Microsoft Profile

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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