GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 15.6% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 230,099 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 31,086 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up approximately 3.9% of GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $118,018,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dorato Capital Management increased its holdings in Microsoft by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dorato Capital Management now owns 3,409 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,806,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 39,661 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $20,342,000 after purchasing an additional 2,458 shares during the last quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC now owns 12,928 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $6,631,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Meadowbrook Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 4.0% during the third quarter. Meadowbrook Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,336 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $3,250,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sapient Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 6.3% during the third quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 465,911 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $238,966,000 after purchasing an additional 27,517 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MSFT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Microsoft from $662.00 to $722.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. UBS Group set a $700.00 price target on Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Citizens Jmp lifted 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. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $609.54.
Get Our Latest Report on Microsoft
Insider Activity at Microsoft
In related news, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.37, for a total transaction of $3,976,622.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 548,091 shares in the company, valued at $298,364,297.67. This represents a 1.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. The trade was a 15.09% 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 142,809 shares of company stock valued at $72,114,646 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft News Roundup
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
Microsoft Stock Down 2.2%
NASDAQ MSFT opened at $533.16 on Wednesday. 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 fifty day moving average of $517.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $441.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.96 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.83, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.05. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $349.20 and a 52 week high of $559.15.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $92.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.87 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.00%.
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.
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