Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI Has $18.33 Million Holdings in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI grew its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 2.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 49,145 shares of the software giant's stock after buying an additional 1,167 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up 1.2% of Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI's holdings in Microsoft were worth $18,332,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Frankly Finances LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $59,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $101,000. Ramsey Quantitative Systems bought a new position in Microsoft in the second quarter worth $112,000. Finally, Midwest Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Microsoft by 16.6% in the first quarter. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC now owns 422 shares of the software giant's stock worth $156,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $21,188,276.96. This trade represents a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 143,009 shares of company stock valued at $71,420,699 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $497.75 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $349.20 and a twelve month high of $553.72. The firm has a market cap of $3.70 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.11. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $464.80 and a 200-day moving average of $422.27.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.65 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. 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 is 21.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MSFT. Citigroup reiterated a "market outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and set a $550.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $660.00 price objective on Microsoft in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Microsoft from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Forty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $564.27.

Key Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Azure and cloud AI remain the main catalyst: Coverage highlights Azure’s more than $100 billion annual revenue milestone and 43% year-over-year growth, with agentic AI increasing demand for cloud compute. Microsoft’s Azure payment-security service also gives financial institutions a way to manage payment infrastructure in the cloud, although pricing and customer commitments were not disclosed. Microsoft Jumps as Azure Turns Payment Vaults Into a Service
• Positive Sentiment: Copilot’s enterprise reach is expanding: Causaly’s scientific research platform is now available within Microsoft Copilot and Teams, adding a specialized life-sciences workflow to Microsoft’s AI ecosystem. Microsoft Ventures is also backing ManticAI, a British startup developing AI systems for predicting global events. Causaly is Now Available in Microsoft Copilot
• Positive Sentiment: Cash returns and analyst support help sentiment: Microsoft’s 8% dividend increase to $0.98 per quarter reinforces confidence in cash generation despite heavy AI investment. Citizens JMP also reiterated a “Market Outperform” rating, supporting the bullish view. Citizens JMP Reiterates Market Outperform Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: AI strategy remains a valuation debate: Microsoft is promoting an internal AI-transformation playbook and continues to position agentic AI as a major growth opportunity. Investors must weigh that opportunity against rising data-center spending, execution risks and higher interest-rate sensitivity.
• Negative Sentiment: Copyright litigation risk has intensified: Newly unsealed court documents reportedly show Microsoft and OpenAI executives describing AI products as substitutes for journalism, while one Microsoft executive characterized AI scraping as “the largest theft of labor in human history.” News organizations argue the statements weaken the companies’ fair-use defense in the New York Times copyright case, potentially increasing legal costs, damages and regulatory scrutiny. OpenAI and Microsoft executives quotes on AI training

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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