Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Bought by Central Pacific Bank Trust Division

Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 19.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 40,886 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 6,602 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for approximately 2.2% of Central Pacific Bank Trust Division’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $20,970,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MSFT. Hedeker Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Hedeker Wealth LLC now owns 55,236 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $20,604,000 after buying an additional 3,546 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 229,490 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $85,604,000 after buying an additional 8,773 shares during the last quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,652,000. Dearborn Partners LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at $75,641,000. Finally, GTS Securities LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 44.6% in the 2nd quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 271,597 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $101,311,000 after purchasing an additional 83,734 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft News Summary

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

Microsoft Trading Down 1.0%

Microsoft stock opened at $530.61 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $559.15. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average is $516.65 and its 200-day moving average is $440.18. The company has a market cap of $3.94 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.69, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.05.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $92.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.13 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.98 per share. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MSFT. William Blair began coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, October 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets set a $610.00 price objective on Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of Microsoft from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, UBS Group set a $700.00 target price on Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $609.54.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total transaction of $3,984,293.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 555,396 shares in the company, valued at approximately $302,924,086.32. The trade was a 1.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total value of $43,388,826.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. This trade represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 135,504 shares of company stock valued at $68,138,024. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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