Central Pacific Bank Trust Division Buys 6,602 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 19.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 40,886 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 6,602 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for 2.2% of Central Pacific Bank Trust Division’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $20,970,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 2.9% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 315,653,206 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $117,744,959,000 after buying an additional 8,944,917 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter worth approximately $27,338,370,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.9% in 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 acquiring an additional 543,172 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $18,306,443,000. Finally, Amundi increased its stake in Microsoft by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 46,694,778 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $17,418,076,000 after buying an additional 5,019,702 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’s free-cash-flow position may offer some reassurance: an analysis notes that several other major AI hyperscalers are generating negative free cash flow, while Microsoft is generating positive cash flow. Is Microsoft Getting Enough Credit for Better Free Cash Flow Compared to its Peers?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say Microsoft plans to reduce the number of neocloud partners it uses, wind down rented AI capacity from Oracle, and declined a Texas data-center expansion with Nscale. This could help control costs and give Microsoft tighter oversight as it builds its own infrastructure, but the implications for capacity growth remain uncertain. Microsoft plans to use fewer neoclouds as AI buildout shows signs of strain
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may read the canceled or reduced AI-computing commitments as a sign that Microsoft is reassessing demand, project timing, or returns on its data-center spending. The shift comes as reports highlight construction delays and the rising cost of meeting a growing AI backlog, intensifying scrutiny of whether heavy investment will pay off. Microsoft is winding down Oracle deal to rent AI cloud capacity, Bloomberg News reports
• Negative Sentiment: Broader unease around AI spending and tech-market volatility may also weigh on MSFT, as investors question the scale of data-center investment relative to future cash returns. Microsoft and Oracle’s AI ambitions are suddenly a lot more expensive

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on MSFT shares. CLSA reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered Microsoft from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Griffin Securities downgraded shares of Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $609.54.

Microsoft Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $530.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.22. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $516.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $440.18. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $349.20 and a 52-week high of $559.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.94 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.05.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $90.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.13 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s payout ratio is presently 19.00%.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value of $20,764,903.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $265,888,830.48. This represents a 7.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This trade represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 135,504 shares of company stock worth $68,138,024. 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. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the company is headquartered in Redmond, Washington.

Its products and services include the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 productivity applications, Azure cloud computing, LinkedIn, GitHub, Surface devices, and Xbox gaming products and services. Microsoft also provides business software, cybersecurity tools, and artificial intelligence technologies.

Microsoft serves customers around the world through its products, online platforms, and network of business partners.