Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Holdings Decreased by Washington Trust Bank

Washington Trust Bank trimmed its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 145,023 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 6,481 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises about 3.8% of Washington Trust Bank’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Washington Trust Bank’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $54,096,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 14.7% in the 2nd quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 392,261 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $146,321,000 after acquiring an additional 50,314 shares in the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 5,802,929 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $2,164,609,000 after purchasing an additional 117,089 shares during the last quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. increased its position in Microsoft by 8.9% during the 2nd quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 223,734 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $83,457,000 after buying an additional 18,306 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 15.3% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,590,600 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $593,326,000 after acquiring an additional 210,915 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 2.9% during the second quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 934,736 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $348,675,000 after acquiring an additional 26,355 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on MSFT. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $636.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $550.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Microsoft from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Forty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $592.15.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $244,092,173.98. This trade represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,188,276.96. This trade represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992 in the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Microsoft Price Performance

MSFT stock opened at $524.51 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $553.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.90 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $508.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $446.17.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The business had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.65 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 currently 20.27%.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Azure and earnings expectations remain strong. Bank of America reaffirmed its Buy rating and forecast approximately 44.8% Azure growth. Analysts expect quarterly results to be broadly in line with estimates, with Azure strength potentially offsetting heavy investment in AI infrastructure. Microsoft Stock Forecast: BofA Reaffirms Buy Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s custom silicon and security businesses could support future cloud margins. The Maia AI accelerator and other internally developed chips may reduce reliance on Nvidia, improve cost control and retain more economics from Microsoft’s AI services. Investors are also watching whether security growth helps offset data-center expenses. Microsoft: Security And Silicon Set The Stage For Cloud Margin Recovery
• Positive Sentiment: Medical AI results add another potential growth opportunity. Microsoft’s MAI-DxO reportedly diagnosed complex cases more than twice as often as general physicians in a simulation, strengthening the company’s positioning in healthcare AI, although commercialization and regulatory hurdles remain. Microsoft develops AI tool that can diagnose sequentially like a doctor
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming report is a major near-term catalyst. Investors will focus on Azure growth, Copilot adoption, AI monetization, capital expenditures, backlog conversion and management’s outlook. The stock is trading near its yearly high, raising expectations for a strong forecast. Microsoft’s Earnings Problem: Even Great May Not Be Enough
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending and market conditions could pressure valuation and margins. Investors have recently sold some technology shares when companies raised infrastructure budgets, while a weaker overall market and higher oil prices have added volatility. Microsoft’s large data-center investment must translate into revenue growth to justify the spending. Microsoft Earnings Report To Focus On AI Momentum, Capex
• Negative Sentiment: Operational and product concerns remain. Microsoft withdrew from a U.K. data-center deal because of power-delivery delays, and Xbox cloud-streaming price changes have generated customer friction. Former CEO Bill Gates has also warned about AI safety risks, potentially increasing regulatory scrutiny. Microsoft pulls out of UK Nscale data centre deal over power delay

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.