Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock: Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Boosts Stake

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC lifted its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 10.7% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 183,132 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 17,683 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises about 1.3% of Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $68,312,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Two Sigma Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter worth about $2,245,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in Microsoft by 17.0% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 474,527 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $177,062,000 after purchasing an additional 68,966 shares during the period. GTS Securities LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 44.6% during the 2nd quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 271,597 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $101,311,000 after purchasing an additional 83,734 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its stake in Microsoft by 115.4% in the second quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,338,020 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $499,108,000 after acquiring an additional 716,806 shares during the period. Finally, Jasper Ridge Partners L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 13.9% during the second quarter. Jasper Ridge Partners L.P. now owns 86,470 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $32,255,000 after purchasing an additional 10,584 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More 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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MSFT. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $440.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, September 21st. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. Argus dropped their price target on Microsoft from $620.00 to $510.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Needham & Company LLC began coverage on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Microsoft from an “overweight” rating to a “negative” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $592.15.

Microsoft Stock Up 0.7%

MSFT opened at $524.51 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $508.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $446.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.90 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.20, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $349.20 and a fifty-two week high of $553.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.23.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.65 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.66 earnings per share for the current 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 $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 a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.27%.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

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.