Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Bought by Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC

Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 65.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 517,109 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 204,714 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises 6.1% of Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $265,225,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Microsoft by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 315,653,206 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $117,744,959,000 after purchasing an additional 8,944,917 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,338,370,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $24,013,297,000 after buying an additional 543,172 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter valued at about $18,306,443,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in Microsoft by 12.0% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

MSFT stock opened at $533.16 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $517.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $441.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $349.20 and a 52 week high of $559.15. The stock has a market cap 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.22.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.72 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $92.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 41.17% and a return on equity of 31.28%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.13 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The business 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 $0.98 dividend. 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 of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. CLSA reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Microsoft from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $725.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $662.00 to $722.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. One investment 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $609.54.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.37, for a total value of $3,976,622.85. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 548,091 shares in the company, valued at $298,364,297.67. The trade was a 1.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through 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 dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total value of $43,388,826.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. This trade represents 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 142,809 shares of company stock valued at $72,114,646. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

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

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.