Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock: Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co Trims Position

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co cut its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 62,967 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 2,567 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up 0.8% of Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $23,488,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 139.6% during the 2nd quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,940 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $24,597,000 after buying an additional 38,419 shares during the last quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 15,023 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $5,604,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Spinnaker Trust increased its holdings in Microsoft by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Spinnaker Trust now owns 119,765 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $44,675,000 after purchasing an additional 1,342 shares in the last quarter. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 5.0% in the second quarter. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC now owns 74,824 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $27,911,000 after purchasing an additional 3,587 shares during the period. Finally, Greenleaf Trust lifted its position in Microsoft by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 296,267 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $110,514,000 after acquiring an additional 4,452 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $524.51 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $349.20 and a 52-week high of $553.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.90 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.20, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $508.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $446.17.

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

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This is a positive change 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 20.27%.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,007,086.83. This trade represents a 9.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Microsoft News

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSFT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research cut Microsoft from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, September 10th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $550.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays lifted their target price on Microsoft from $512.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Tigress Financial boosted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $680.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Forty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Microsoft has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $592.15.

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.