NS Partners Ltd Increases Stock Holdings in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• NS Partners Ltd has increased its holdings in Microsoft Corporation by 0.7% in the first quarter, making it the largest position in the fund's portfolio, valued at approximately $199.47 million.
• Microsoft reported a quarterly revenue of $76.44 billion and earnings per share (EPS) of $3.65, exceeding analysts' expectations and showcasing an 18.1% year-over-year growth.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share, with a payout ratio of 24.34%, indicating a stable return to shareholders.

NS Partners Ltd increased its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 0.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 531,365 shares of the software giant's stock after acquiring an additional 3,837 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 8.8% of NS Partners Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. NS Partners Ltd's holdings in Microsoft were worth $199,469,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Newton One Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 66.7% in the 1st 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 purchased a new position in Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth about $62,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 50.0% in the 1st quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the software giant's stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In related news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 149,205 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $504.78, for a total transaction of $75,315,699.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 790,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $399,206,272.56. This represents a 15.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,850 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $527.32, for a total value of $2,557,502.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 39,111 shares in the company, valued at $20,624,012.52. The trade was a 11.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MSFT. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Microsoft from $580.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Wedbush lifted their price objective on Microsoft from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Microsoft from $480.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Microsoft from $530.00 to $582.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Microsoft from $550.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $612.54.

Microsoft Price Performance

NASDAQ MSFT traded down $12.97 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $495.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 31,963,969 shares, compared to its average volume of 19,697,988. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $509.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $450.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $344.79 and a 1 year high of $555.45. The company has a market capitalization of $3.68 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.29, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.04.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $76.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $73.79 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.44% and a net margin of 36.15%.The firm's revenue was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.95 EPS. Microsoft has set its Q1 2026 guidance at EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is 24.34%.

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.