Resolute Advisors LLC Sells 2,537 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Resolute Advisors LLC cut its Microsoft stake by 57.3% in the second quarter, selling 2,537 shares and retaining 1,892 shares valued at approximately $706,000. Institutional investors collectively own 71.13% of MSFT.
• Microsoft reported quarterly results above expectations, with $4.74 in adjusted EPS and $90.01 billion in revenue, up 17.7% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.98 per share, or $3.92 annualized.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with 43 Buy ratings and a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating alongside an average price target of $594.11. Near-term focus is on Azure growth, Copilot monetization, AI demand and spending efficiency ahead of earnings.

Resolute Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 57.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,892 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 2,537 shares during the quarter. Resolute Advisors LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $706,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MSFT. Atticus Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,907 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $5,561,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Natural Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 2.8% in the second quarter. Natural Investments LLC now owns 49,008 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $18,281,000 after buying an additional 1,327 shares in the last quarter. Cairn Investment Group Inc. increased its stake in Microsoft by 46.9% during the 2nd quarter. Cairn Investment Group Inc. now owns 4,070 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,518,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares during the period. XML Financial LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. XML Financial LLC now owns 57,808 shares of the software giant's stock worth $21,563,000 after purchasing an additional 1,710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Financial Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC now owns 15,344 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $5,724,000 after purchasing an additional 643 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total transaction of $3,984,293.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 555,396 shares in the company, valued at approximately $302,924,086.32. The trade was a 1.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Microsoft Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $532.60 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.96 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $349.20 and a 12 month high of $553.72. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $508.43 and a 200-day moving average of $437.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

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. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.65 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.66 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

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

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to approximately 60,000 employees in the U.S., Canada, India and the U.K. The program is aimed at reducing costs and reallocating resources toward artificial intelligence, data centers and other strategic priorities. Investors appear to view the move as a way to help offset the company’s substantial AI infrastructure spending. Microsoft offers voluntary buyouts to 60,000 employees
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their price targets ahead of earnings. Oppenheimer lifted its target to $625 from $570, while Truist raised its target to $600 from $575 and maintained a Buy rating, citing resilient Azure growth and strong enterprise demand. Oppenheimer raises Microsoft target ahead of earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street expects continued momentum in Azure and Copilot monetization. Microsoft reports fiscal first-quarter results on October 28, making cloud growth, AI demand and spending efficiency important near-term catalysts. Microsoft stock gains as Wall Street sees Azure growth

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MSFT. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $440.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday. CLSA restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Citizens Jmp restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $550.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Forty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $594.11.

Microsoft Profile

Microsoft Corporation NASDAQ: MSFT is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.

The company's principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.

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