Apella Capital LLC Purchases 18,735 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Apella Capital LLC boosted its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 18.3% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 121,363 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,735 shares during the period. Apella Capital LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $44,925,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Thoma Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 17.5% during the 1st quarter. Thoma Capital Management LLC now owns 4,791 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,774,000 after acquiring an additional 713 shares during the period. Surience Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 677.5% in the 1st quarter. Surience Private Wealth LLC now owns 7,402 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,740,000 after acquiring an additional 6,450 shares in the last quarter. Legal Advantage Investments Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. Legal Advantage Investments Inc. now owns 16,290 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $6,030,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Godsey & Gibb Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 71,376 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $26,421,000 after purchasing an additional 757 shares during the period. Finally, Tranquility Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Microsoft by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Tranquility Partners LLC now owns 36,481 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $13,504,000 after purchasing an additional 767 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Up 1.2%

MSFT stock opened at $373.02 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $408.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $419.37. The company has a market cap of $2.77 trillion, a P/E ratio of 22.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.28. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $349.20 and a fifty-two week high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $82.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $81.44 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.94% and a net margin of 39.34%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.46 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.67%.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 1,262 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $411.34, for a total value of $519,111.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,922,874.02. This trade represents a 2.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $402.84, for a total transaction of $1,812,780.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 47,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,122,009.12. This trade represents a 8.66% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 23,762 shares of company stock valued at $10,508,361. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSFT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Scotiabank decreased their target price on Microsoft from $600.00 to $550.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, May 4th. DZ Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $641.00 to $646.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Forty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $560.86.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted continued strength in Microsoft’s Azure cloud and AI businesses, with bullish commentary saying demand remains robust and that the recent selloff may be creating a more attractive entry point. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and investors cited Microsoft’s security business as a potential growth driver, while recent partnership news and product integrations suggest the company is still expanding its enterprise ecosystem. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Some Wall Street coverage remained constructive, with firms such as Deutsche Bank and Erste Group lifting their outlooks, reinforcing the view that Microsoft’s long-term earnings power remains intact. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft also announced product and ecosystem updates, including a new Marketplace listing and broader AI/security-related integrations, which are supportive but not likely to move the stock on their own. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several opinion pieces argued the stock may be oversold and could rebound, but these were largely valuation-driven commentary rather than new fundamental catalysts. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Microsoft is facing renewed scrutiny over AI spending, with multiple stories noting the stock’s sharp June decline as investors worry that massive AI capex is not translating into profits quickly enough. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms and reports flagged securities-fraud class actions tied to alleged misstatements about Copilot and Azure, adding legal uncertainty and potential headline risk. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Additional pressure came from reports of another round of job cuts and from antitrust attention in Europe, both of which can weigh on sentiment even if they help costs over time. Article Title

About Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft develops, licenses and supports a broad range of software products, services and devices for consumers, enterprises and governments worldwide. Its operations span personal computing, productivity software, cloud infrastructure, enterprise applications, developer tools and gaming.

Microsoft’s product portfolio includes the Windows operating system and the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity and collaboration tools (Office apps, Outlook, Teams).