XY Planning Network Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 119.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,126 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,879 shares during the quarter. XY Planning Network Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $2,658,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the second quarter worth $27,338,370,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 64,375,360 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $24,013,297,000 after purchasing an additional 543,172 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter valued at $18,306,443,000. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 46,694,778 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $17,418,076,000 after buying an additional 5,019,702 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 29,323,744 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $10,852,884,000 after buying an additional 2,784,809 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
Insider Transactions at Microsoft
In other news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total value of $4,878,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at $49,007,086.83. This trade represents a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total transaction 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 145,504 shares of company stock valued at $73,016,924 in the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Trending Headlines about Microsoft
- Positive Sentiment: Azure and AI demand remain the key bullish catalysts. Recent coverage highlights Azure revenue growth of 48%, above Microsoft’s 44%–45% forecast, with demand reportedly exceeding available capacity. Strong cloud growth, expanding Copilot adoption, and a reported $677 billion contract backlog support the view that Microsoft can monetize its AI investments. Microsoft Delivers Strong Azure Growth as AI Demand Exceeds Supply
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts and long-term investors continue to favor Microsoft’s scale and financial quality. Commentary points to Microsoft’s high-margin Azure platform, OpenAI partnership, prudent infrastructure expansion, and durable competitive position. Bill Ackman and other investors continue to view MSFT as a long-term compounder, while Microsoft’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations with revenue up 18.8% year over year to $92.28 billion and EPS of $4.89. Microsoft’s Prudent Approach to the AI Infrastructure Buildout
- Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft is expanding enterprise AI relationships. Estée Lauder selected Microsoft’s cloud, data, and AI tools to unify data and support personalized customer experiences. The deal reinforces Azure’s enterprise relevance, although its financial contribution to Microsoft was not disclosed. Estée Lauder Partners With Microsoft on AI and Data Tools
- Negative Sentiment: AI financing and cash-flow concerns are weighing on mega-cap technology stocks. Microsoft’s roughly $25 billion bond offering and heavy data-center spending have prompted debate about leverage and returns on AI infrastructure. Recent coverage notes that free cash flow fell to about $18.6 billion as capital expenditures increased, making investors more sensitive to execution and funding risks. AI Bond Funding Might Change the Case for Investing in Microsoft
- Negative Sentiment: Market-wide technology weakness amplified the pressure. The Nasdaq declined as investors reassessed expensive AI-linked stocks, while Oracle’s $10 billion debt sale revived concerns that aggressive AI buildouts may require substantial borrowing. Microsoft’s strong balance sheet and low debt-to-equity ratio distinguish it from weaker peers, but the sector-wide risk-off move still affected MSFT. Oracle Declines as AI Debt Worries Return
Analyst Ratings Changes
MSFT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $570.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 26th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Griffin Securities lowered shares of Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, September 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $609.54.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on MSFT
Microsoft Price Performance
NASDAQ MSFT opened at $507.12 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $3.77 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.47, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $513.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $438.62. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $551.15.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 32.31%. The company had revenue of $92.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.13 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.79 earnings per share 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 paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.46%.
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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