Factor Wealth Management LTD Sells 1,900 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Factor Wealth Management LTD trimmed its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 45.2% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,308 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,900 shares during the quarter. Factor Wealth Management LTD’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $1,184,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Frankly Finances LLC acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Fiduciary Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 37.4% in the second quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. now owns 125 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $533.16 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.96 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.05. 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 stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $517.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $441.10.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.72 by $0.17. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.28% and a net margin of 41.17%. The firm had revenue of $92.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.62 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.13 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This is an increase 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 payout ratio is 19.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $244,092,173.98. This trade represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,624 shares in the company, valued at $265,888,830.48. The trade was a 7.24% 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 142,809 shares of company stock worth $72,114,646. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Microsoft News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft and IBM introduced Imagine Enterprise, a platform combining IBM’s library of more than 6,000 AI agents with Microsoft’s cloud, data and security tools. The partnership could help drive enterprise demand for Microsoft’s AI and cloud services. IBM and Microsoft Announce a New AI Agent Platform Designed for Industry-Specific Transformation
• Positive Sentiment: A five-year partnership with Ohio State University will apply Microsoft’s cloud and AI technology to healthcare, research and education, adding another potential customer and use case. Ohio State and Microsoft announce five-year strategic partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft reportedly urged the administration to drop a proposed ban on Chinese data-center technology, warning that restrictions could complicate data-center deployment. The outcome could affect equipment access and rollout timing. Microsoft presses Trump to scuttle expected ban on Chinese data-center technology
• Negative Sentiment: Anthropic unveiled workplace tools that could compete with Microsoft Office, including spreadsheet-related capabilities. The move raised concerns about competition in Microsoft’s enterprise software business. Anthropic unveils office suite to challenge Microsoft
• Negative Sentiment: A hot inflation report and rising bond yields weighed on the broader market, creating an additional headwind for technology shares. Stock market coverage on inflation and technology shares

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSFT has been the subject of several analyst reports. KeyCorp set a $625.00 price objective on Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. BMO Capital Markets set a $610.00 price objective on Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Citizens Jmp raised their price objective on Microsoft from $550.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $440.00 price target on Microsoft in a research note on Monday, September 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $609.54.

About Microsoft

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.