Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by Defender Capital LLC.

Key Points

• Defender Capital LLC has reduced its stake in Microsoft Corporation by 20.9%, holding 2,686 shares worth $1,023,000, making it the firm's 16th largest position.
• Microsoft reported a Q2 EPS of $3.65, exceeding expectations, with revenues of $76.44 billion, marking an 18.1% increase compared to the previous year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share, which will be distributed on September 11th, yielding an annual dividend of 0.6%.

Defender Capital LLC. decreased its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 20.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,686 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 709 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for about 0.4% of Defender Capital LLC.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Defender Capital LLC.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $1,023,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Newton One Investments LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 66.7% in the first quarter. Newton One Investments LLC now owns 75 shares of the software giant's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth $62,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 50.0% in the first quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the software giant's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of MSFT stock traded down $7.4250 on Tuesday, hitting $509.6750. The stock had a trading volume of 12,654,787 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,237,453. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $503.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $441.90. The company has a market cap of $3.79 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.06. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $344.79 and a one year high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The software giant reported $3.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.35 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $76.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $73.79 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 36.15% and a return on equity of 32.44%. The firm's revenue was up 18.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.95 earnings per share. Microsoft has set its Q1 2026 guidance at EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st will be given a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Microsoft news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.77, for a total value of $9,756,055.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 134,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,208,127.76. This represents a 13.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,850 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $527.32, for a total value of $2,557,502.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 39,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,624,012.52. This represents a 11.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 30,350 shares of company stock worth $14,162,567. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSFT has been the topic of several research reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Loop Capital boosted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $550.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $530.00 to $582.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $550.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $612.54.

Microsoft Company Profile

Microsoft Corporation develops and supports software, services, devices and solutions worldwide. The Productivity and Business Processes segment offers office, exchange, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, office 365 Security and Compliance, Microsoft viva, and Microsoft 365 copilot; and office consumer services, such as Microsoft 365 consumer subscriptions, Office licensed on-premises, and other office services.