Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Sold by Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Key Points

• Oppenheimer reduced its Microsoft position by 3.4%, selling 25,447 shares and retaining 732,035 shares worth approximately $273.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 71.13% of Microsoft, while insiders sold $71.4 million of stock during the last quarter.
• Microsoft is emphasizing enterprise AI through a redesigned Copilot “super app,” Azure, and usage-based billing. Analysts remain broadly bullish, with Oppenheimer raising its price target to $570 and the consensus target at $569.29, though heavy AI infrastructure spending and adoption uncertainty pose risks.
• Microsoft reported strong quarterly results, including $4.74 in EPS and $90.01 billion in revenue, up 17.7% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.98, representing a 0.8% annualized yield.

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lessened its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 3.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 732,035 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 25,447 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for 2.9% of Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $273,064,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MSFT. Frankly Finances LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft in the second quarter valued at $35,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth about $59,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Microsoft by 37.4% in the second quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. now owns 125 shares of the software giant's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $101,000. Finally, Ramsey Quantitative Systems purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $112,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

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 value of $20,764,903.98. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 533,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $265,888,830.48. This trade represents a 7.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 100,447 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,007,086.83. This trade represents a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 143,009 shares of company stock valued at $71,420,699. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft unveiled a redesigned Copilot “super app” that combines access to Office applications with coding tools, autonomous AI agents and an Autopilot feature. The initiative is aimed primarily at business users and could improve enterprise adoption, usage and monetization of Microsoft’s AI offerings. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its Microsoft price target to $570, citing the company’s shift toward enterprise AI agents and a billing model tied more closely to customer usage. Other recent analyst targets have also moved higher, reinforcing expectations for sustained Azure and AI growth. Oppenheimer target article
• Positive Sentiment: Investors appear more confident that Microsoft can benefit from AI without depending on a single large-model provider. Its Azure cloud platform, Microsoft 365 ecosystem and enterprise distribution provide multiple avenues for converting AI investment into recurring revenue. MarketWatch article
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy bullish options activity, including a large call spread, suggests traders are positioning for additional upside. Technical analysts identified a potential move toward approximately $555, although this is market positioning rather than a fundamental forecast. Barchart options article
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market gains, led by AI stocks, provided an additional tailwind. However, elevated oil prices, Treasury yields and uncertainty over potential Federal Reserve policy changes remain important macroeconomic risks.
• Negative Sentiment: Microsoft is moving away from a consumer-focused personal-assistant strategy and concentrating Copilot on workplace use. The usage-based approach could unlock greater revenue, but it may also make sales less predictable than traditional subscriptions if customer adoption is slower than expected. Financial Post article
• Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to monitor Microsoft’s substantial AI infrastructure spending, data-center capacity constraints and a reported 277-job reduction in Washington. These factors could pressure near-term margins even as Azure demand remains strong.

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $516.17 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $3.83 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $477.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $426.29. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $349.20 and a 12 month high of $553.72.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.65 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.98 dividend. 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 yield of 0.8%. Microsoft's payout ratio is 20.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSFT has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $640.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. CLSA reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Microsoft from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, Phillip Securities downgraded Microsoft from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Forty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently 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 and digital solutions for consumers, businesses and public-sector organizations. Its products and services include the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 productivity applications, Teams collaboration software, Dynamics business applications and Azure cloud computing services.

The company also operates LinkedIn, GitHub and Xbox, which includes gaming consoles, video games and related online services.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report).

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.