Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Acquired by Toth Financial Advisory Corp

Toth Financial Advisory Corp boosted its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 3.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 58,789 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,159 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for 3.0% of Toth Financial Advisory Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Toth Financial Advisory Corp’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $30,153,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Microsoft in the second quarter worth $27,338,370,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter valued at $18,306,443,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at $6,928,664,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,653,812,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,000,706,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total transaction of $20,764,903.98. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 533,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $265,888,830.48. The trade was a 7.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 135,504 shares of company stock worth $68,138,024 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $545.18 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $517.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $440.69. 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 company has a market cap of $4.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.05.

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. 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 quarter last year, the business posted $4.13 EPS. Microsoft’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.00%.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Northern Trust introduced an AI-powered client-onboarding agent running on Microsoft Azure, with Excel and SharePoint integration. The reported reductions in data-preparation time and strong data-quality results illustrate potential enterprise demand for Microsoft’s cloud and AI tools. Microsoft stock and Northern Trust AI agent
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft is reportedly becoming more selective about outside AI data-center and neocloud arrangements, including not renewing a cloud contract involving Oracle. Tighter spending could support cash flow, but changes to its infrastructure plans may also raise questions about capacity and execution. Microsoft AI data-center deals
• Negative Sentiment: AI investment remains a key risk: one report said Microsoft’s free cash flow over the last four quarters was about 23% below the prior-year period, amid rising infrastructure spending. A large reported backlog signals demand, but investors will look for that spending to translate into returns. Microsoft backlog, AI capex and neocloud ties
• Negative Sentiment: B&D White Capital, a fund with roughly $1.03 billion in assets, reported selling all its Microsoft shares in the third quarter. The filing is backward-looking and does not establish the fund’s reason for selling, but it may add to near-term sentiment concerns. B&D White Capital share sale

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MSFT. KeyCorp set a $625.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Microsoft from $662.00 to $722.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. UBS Group set a $700.00 target price on Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, September 28th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Microsoft from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $665.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, October 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $609.54.

Microsoft Company Profile

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.