Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Sold by Performance Wealth Partners LLC

Key Points

• Performance Wealth Partners cut its Microsoft stake by 30.5% in the second quarter, selling 138,818 shares and retaining 316,280 shares valued at approximately $118 million. Institutional investors still own 71.13% of Microsoft’s outstanding stock.
• Microsoft reported strong quarterly results, with earnings of $4.74 per share and revenue of $90.01 billion, exceeding analyst expectations; revenue increased 17.7% year over year.
• Microsoft raised its quarterly dividend to $0.98 per share, or $3.92 annually, while analysts maintained a generally positive outlook with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $578.73.

Performance Wealth Partners LLC reduced its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 30.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 316,280 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 138,818 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up 2.9% of Performance Wealth Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Performance Wealth Partners LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $117,979,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its stake in Microsoft by 8.9% in the 2nd quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 838,500 shares of the software giant's stock worth $312,777,000 after buying an additional 68,695 shares during the last quarter. Oak Barrel Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,904,000. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 9,063 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $3,524,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth about $94,867,000. Finally, Principle Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116,758 shares of the software giant's stock worth $43,553,000 after acquiring an additional 2,104 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Up 0.1%

MSFT opened at $529.76 on Thursday. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $553.72. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $498.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $433.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.23. The company has a market cap of $3.93 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.10.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The firm had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.65 earnings per share. Microsoft's revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This is a positive change from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,677 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 533,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $265,888,830.48. This represents a 7.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 143,009 shares of company stock worth $71,420,699. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $550.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $700.00 to $725.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Forty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $578.73.

More Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New AI hardware and Windows strategy: Microsoft unveiled the $2,599 Surface Laptop Ultra, powered by Nvidia’s RTX chip, allowing users to run AI models and agents locally rather than through the cloud. The launch could strengthen Windows’ position in AI PCs, support device demand and create new opportunities for Microsoft’s software ecosystem. Microsoft to sell $2,599 Surface Laptop Ultra containing Nvidia AI chip
• Positive Sentiment: AI monetization remains the core bull case: Analysts and investors continue to point to Azure growth, Copilot revenue potential and Microsoft’s perceived strength in AI security and enterprise trust. Evercore ISI reiterated a Buy rating and raised its target to $635, while Melius Research upgraded the stock to Buy with a $665 target. Microsoft: AI-Driven Azure Upside Spurs Buy Rating and Target Price Hike to $635
• Positive Sentiment: Strong fundamentals provide support: Microsoft’s latest reported quarter exceeded expectations, with revenue up 17.7% year over year and earnings above consensus. Optimism ahead of the next earnings report is also supported by reported Azure momentum and a history of earnings beats.
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming earnings date: Microsoft will release fiscal 2027 first-quarter results after the market close on October 28. The date gives investors a near-term catalyst, but it may also keep attention focused on Azure growth, Copilot usage, capital spending and free cash flow. Microsoft announces quarterly earnings release date
• Negative Sentiment: Debt-funded AI expansion raises risk: Microsoft is issuing additional debt to finance data centers and AI hardware. While this supports capacity growth, investors are increasingly concerned about leverage, declining free cash flow and the possibility that AI infrastructure spending becomes excessive or bubble-like.
• Negative Sentiment: Copilot utilization concerns: Usage-tracking commentary suggests many employees at companies with Microsoft Copilot licenses use the service minimally. If low engagement leads to weaker renewals or slower seat expansion, it could challenge assumptions that Copilot will quickly become a major source of recurring AI revenue. Bad News for Microsoft: Basically Zero AI Use for Most Employees on Copilot

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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