Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC Sells 16,002 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Van Hulzen Asset Management cut its Microsoft stake by 13.9%, selling 16,002 shares in the second quarter; it retained 99,491 shares worth about $37.1 million, making Microsoft its fourth-largest holding.
• Microsoft reported quarterly revenue of $92.28 billion, up 18.8% year over year, and EPS of $4.89, both above analyst estimates.
• Microsoft raised its quarterly dividend from $0.91 to $0.98 per share. Separately, company insiders sold 135,504 shares worth about $68.1 million over the past 90 days.

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 13.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 99,491 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 16,002 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up 2.6% of Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $37,112,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MSFT. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth $27,338,370,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at $18,306,443,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at $6,928,664,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at about $5,653,812,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at about $4,000,706,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value of $20,764,903.98. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 533,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $265,888,830.48. This trade represents a 7.24% 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. Insiders sold a total of 135,504 shares of company stock valued at $68,138,024 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cloud and AI results supported the rally. Microsoft’s fiscal first-quarter revenue rose 19% year over year to $92.28 billion, beating estimates, while Azure growth accelerated and AI adoption continued to expand. Reports also highlighted a $677 billion commercial backlog as evidence of future demand. Article: MSFT Q1 Earnings Call Highlights Azure Growth and AI Spending
• Positive Sentiment: Broader market strength lifted mega-cap technology shares. Microsoft joined a post-election rebound as investors rotated back into AI leaders; the company also reached a record high during the session. Article: Microsoft Stock Hits Record High as Midterm Results Boost AI Infrastructure Bets
• Positive Sentiment: New analytics tools target AI-assisted shopping. Microsoft added features to Clarity that help merchants track how AI agents interact with websites and apps, extending the company’s offerings for businesses adopting agentic AI. Article: Microsoft Clarity Helps Merchants Welcome AI Shopping Agents
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft disclosed a $25 billion senior-notes offering. The debt issuance provides financing flexibility, but also adds borrowing and interest obligations. Article: Microsoft Announces $25 Billion Senior Notes Offering
• Negative Sentiment: AI investment remains a key risk. Analysts and commentary flagged substantial infrastructure spending, possible pressure on free cash flow and margins, and political calls for tighter data-center rules that could constrain future expansion. Article: Microsoft: Don't Get Too Excited About Its Positive FCF

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $555.80 on Thursday. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $349.20 and a twelve month high of $559.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $515.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $439.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.13 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.05.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.17. Microsoft had a net margin of 41.17% and a return on equity of 31.28%. The firm had revenue of $92.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.13 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. This is a boost from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is 19.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on MSFT. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded shares of Microsoft from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $640.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, September 28th. Needham & Company LLC began coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Microsoft from $662.00 to $722.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $609.54.

About Microsoft

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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