Brown Financial Advisory Raises Position in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Brown Financial Advisory lifted its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 48.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,213 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,054 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises about 0.9% of Brown Financial Advisory’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Brown Financial Advisory’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $1,598,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Newton One Investments LLC grew its position in Microsoft by 66.7% during the 1st quarter. Newton One Investments LLC now owns 75 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Bulwark Capital Corp purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter worth $32,000. Westend Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 386.7% during the second quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 155.7% in the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 156 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Stock Performance

MSFT opened at $508.68 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $513.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $494.92. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $344.79 and a 1 year high of $555.45. The stock has a market cap of $3.78 trillion, a P/E ratio of 36.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.35.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The software giant reported $4.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $77.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $75.49 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.71% and a return on equity of 33.47%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.30 earnings per share. Microsoft has set its Q2 2026 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Microsoft’s payout ratio is currently 25.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on MSFT. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $639.00 price target on Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, October 24th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 30th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Microsoft from $650.00 to $625.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $650.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $634.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Microsoft news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 38,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $518.64, for a total value of $19,967,640.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 461,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $239,402,668.08. This trade represents a 7.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 149,205 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $504.78, for a total value of $75,315,699.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 790,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $399,206,272.56. This trade represents a 15.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

About Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation develops and supports software, services, devices and solutions worldwide. The Productivity and Business Processes segment offers office, exchange, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, office 365 Security and Compliance, Microsoft viva, and Microsoft 365 copilot; and office consumer services, such as Microsoft 365 consumer subscriptions, Office licensed on-premises, and other office services.