Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Sells 18,105 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Oppenheimer Asset Management cut its Microsoft position by 2.7%, selling 18,105 shares and retaining 651,100 shares worth approximately $242.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 71.13% of Microsoft.
• Microsoft’s AI strategy remains a key focus, with its redesigned Copilot targeting enterprise users through AI agents, coding tools and usage-based billing. Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $569.29.
• Microsoft reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, including $4.74 in EPS and $90.01 billion in revenue, while raising its quarterly dividend to $0.98 from $0.91. Investors are also watching substantial AI infrastructure spending and recent insider stock sales as potential risks.

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 2.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 651,100 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 18,105 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises about 2.5% of Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $242,873,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Partners in Financial Planning lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Partners in Financial Planning now owns 2,593 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,254,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. FWG Holdings LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. FWG Holdings LLC now owns 8,368 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $4,047,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Friedenthal Financial lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 431 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $160,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Sequent Planning LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Sequent Planning LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,382,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC now owns 5,543 shares of the software giant's stock worth $2,052,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Microsoft News

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 Price Performance

Shares of MSFT opened at $516.17 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $3.83 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.74, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.11. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $349.20 and a fifty-two week high of $553.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $477.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $426.29.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.65 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.98 dividend. This is a boost from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Microsoft's payout ratio is currently 20.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on MSFT shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Citigroup reissued a "market outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, September 21st. KeyCorp restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, CLSA restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Forty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $569.29.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In related news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the firm's 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 owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. This trade represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value 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 $21,188,276.96. The trade was a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 143,009 shares of company stock valued at $71,420,699 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Microsoft 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.

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