1,600 Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Purchased by Nilsine Partners LLC

Nilsine Partners LLC increased its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 3.8% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 43,818 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 1,600 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises approximately 1.1% of Nilsine Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Nilsine Partners LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $16,345,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 30.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 41,675,076 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $15,426,862,000 after purchasing an additional 9,814,598 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Microsoft by 10.5% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 29,323,744 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $10,852,884,000 after buying an additional 2,784,809 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Microsoft by 64.3% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 24,264,779 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $8,982,083,000 after buying an additional 9,493,778 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in Microsoft by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 21,906,086 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $8,108,976,000 after buying an additional 781,973 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank raised its position in Microsoft by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 20,721,690 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $7,670,548,000 after buying an additional 1,371,040 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,188,276.96. The trade was a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. This trade represents a 9.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Microsoft Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $521.91 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $551.15. The company has a market capitalization of $3.88 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.24, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50 day moving average of $512.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $438.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.72 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $92.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.28% and a net margin of 41.17%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.13 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.79 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSFT has been the subject of several research reports. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $570.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Microsoft from $725.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Argus decreased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $620.00 to $510.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $609.54.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft delivered a strong fiscal first quarter, with revenue of $92.28 billion and EPS of $4.89, both above expectations. Azure revenue surged 48%, while Microsoft Cloud revenue rose 30%, reinforcing the view that AI demand is translating into meaningful cloud growth. Microsoft Earnings Expose a Growing Divide in the Magnificent 7 AI Trade
• Positive Sentiment: Management issued second-quarter revenue guidance of $96.0 billion to $97.1 billion, above the $95.7 billion consensus estimate. Analysts responded with multiple price-target increases, including targets of $630 to $680, and Wolfe Research upgraded the stock to “strong buy.”
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s strong cash generation and diversified enterprise business continue to distinguish it from rivals facing sharper cash-flow concerns. Analysts argue that Azure, Copilot, AI agents and Microsoft’s security products provide several ways to monetize AI. The expanded Estée Lauder partnership, which will extend Copilot to more than 14,000 employees, offers another example of enterprise adoption. Estée Lauder and Microsoft Strategic Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft’s voluntary exit offer for approximately 60,000 employees may improve productivity and redirect resources toward AI, but it also highlights a significant restructuring as the company shifts toward more automated, equipment-intensive operations. Microsoft’s 60,000-Person Buyout Offer
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about Microsoft’s capital intensity. The company plans roughly $170 billion of AI-related capital spending, while also arranging a $25 billion bond sale—the first major U.S. debt offering since 2017—to fund its buildout. Rising borrowing costs increase scrutiny of future AI returns. Microsoft Plans to Raise $25 Billion in Debt
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly capital spending was below analyst expectations because third-party AI-chip and data-center capacity was delayed, pushing some capacity into the first half of 2027. While management described this as a supply issue rather than weaker demand, the miss hurt AI infrastructure suppliers and revived concerns about the pace of expansion.
• Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s cloud gross margin is reportedly narrowing as chip, power, data-center and labor costs rise. With the Nasdaq 100 down sharply during October amid fears of an AI spending bubble, investors are demanding proof that Microsoft’s large backlog will convert into profitable cash flow—not merely future revenue.

Microsoft Company Profile

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.