Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Purchased by Operose Advisors LLC

Operose Advisors LLC increased its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 10.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,435 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,228 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up about 1.0% of Operose Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Operose Advisors LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $5,012,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth about $27,338,370,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at about $18,306,443,000. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,928,664,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth about $5,653,812,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth about $4,000,706,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

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 Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of 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 firm has a market capitalization of $3.88 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $512.91 and a 200 day moving average price 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.13 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.79 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is 19.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total value of $4,878,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. The trade was 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. Insiders sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Tigress Financial increased their target price on Microsoft from $680.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Microsoft from $608.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho boosted their price target on Microsoft from $510.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Microsoft from $586.00 to $595.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $609.54.

Microsoft 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.