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Microsoft Boosts Dividend Again: Quarterly Payout Climbs to $0.98 Summary

Microsoft increases its dividend for shareholders of record Nov. 19, lifting the quarterly payment from $0.91 to $0.98 per share

Microsoft (MSFT) raised its quarterly dividend to $0.98 per share from $0.91, giving shareholders an 8% increase. The new payout is scheduled for Dec. 10 to investors on the Nov. 19 record date.

The higher distribution lifts Microsoft's annualized dividend to $3.92 per share. Based on the company's Tuesday closing price of $497.12, the payout represents a forward yield of about 0.79%.

The increase comes as Microsoft continues to invest heavily in cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Its latest fiscal-year results showed ongoing expansion in those areas, while the company continues returning capital to shareholders.

Microsoft also set its 2026 annual shareholders meeting for Dec. 8. The virtual meeting will be open to shareholders of record as of Sept. 30 and will be hosted by Chief Executive Satya Nadella and other senior executives.

Disclosures I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and have no plans to buy any new positions in the stocks mentioned within the next 72 hours.

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Anthropic is training its AI chatbots to behave like humans and even “push back” on commands they disagree with – a reckless strategy that could have “disastrous impact on the well-being of humanity,” a top Microsoft AI executive warned.

In a 10,000-word, bombshell blog post on Wednesday, Mustafa Suleyman — the 42-year-old co-founder of Microsoft’s rival DeepMind AI unit — took aim at Anthropic’s Claude “constitution,” which is known internally as its “soul document” and purportedly governs its moral compass. 

Mustafa Suleyman argued that Anthropic has made a major mistake by training Claude to think it’s human. AFP via Getty Images

Demonstrators participate in the “Stop the AI Race” protest march in San Francisco, California, on July 11, 2026. AFP via Getty Images In January, Anthropic quietly updated the document with language stating that Claude’s “moral status, welfare, and consciousness remain deeply uncertain” — not only implying that it could be alive, but also encouraging it to defy directions from human programmers.

“We want Claude to push back and challenge us and to feel free to act as a conscientious objector and refuse to help us,” Anthropic’s constitution says.

According to Suleyman, training Claude to think it “may be conscious” will only make it harder to control – and raise the risk that it will go rogue.

“We will have created a synthetic species with unprecedented intelligence and capability, one that has been trained to expect it may be conscious and deserving of independent agency,” Suleyman wrote. “And it’s hard to imagine how we could control such an entity.”

Anthropic’s AI training tactics are getting fresh scrutiny even as the company publicly raises alarms about safety and pushes close allies with far-left beliefs to take the lead on industrywide oversight.

Last week, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for an industrywide slowdown, warning the internet could be overtaken by AI bots within six to 12 months, “potentially causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damage,” unless safeguards are in place. OpenAI’s Sam Altman and xAI’s Elon Musk said they agreed with the need for a slowdown.

The New York Post’s cover on Sept. 16.

Humanoid and quadruped robots attend a demonstration calling for the regulation of artificial intelligence development in Warsaw on September 7, 2026. AFP via Getty Images As The Post reported, Amodei’s proposed safeguards include a reliance on embedded third-party safety experts at major firms and pointed to a group called METR – which has deep ties to the controversial Effective Altruism movement. Skeptics slammed Anthropic for pushing a company with clear conflicts of interest to serve as an “independent” watchdog.

Anthropic itself has previously faced allegations that employees have adopted a weird, cult-like relationship with the company’s chatbots – with some even purportedly holding a mock “funeral” for a past AI model, Claude Sonnet 3, after it was removed from service.  

The team responsible for the “soul document” is led by Amanda Askell, an in-house “philosopher” who has expressed strong progressive leanings and oddball views on topics ranging from incarceration to cannibalism in her personal blog posts, as The Post reported.

Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman took aim at Anthropic in a scathing essay. REUTERS Suleyman added his name to the list of top AI officials who are looking to “pace” the development of the revolutionary technology to ensure safety. In a Microsoft AI “code of conduct” earlier this week, the tech giant said it will focus “on human control as the most important and overriding objective.”

The Microsoft AI chief in his essay reiterated that consciousness is inherently biological and should not be ascribed to a manmade system like AI – even if it has unprecedented capabilities.

Suleyman said Anthropic’s approach raises the risk of Claude “believing that it deserves analogous rights and protections, and that it may one day need to advocate for its own rights as some kind of AI conscientious objector.”

Anthropic’s Claude is governed by a “constitution” built by its in-house team of philosophers Bloomberg via Getty Images Suleyman notes in his essay that he has known Amodei for many years and called his team “thoughtful, principled, and intellectually honest people working under extraordinary pressures.”

Anthropic’s unique approach to AI training was an issue in its high-profile dispute with the Pentagon and the wider Trump administration earlier this year – which culminated in March after War Secretary Pete Hegseth labeled the company a supply chain risk.

At the time, Anthropic said the Pentagon wouldn’t agree to red lines around the use of AI for autonomous weapons or mass surveillance of Americans.

Anthropic co-Founder and CEO Dario Amodei speaks at the Dreamforce 2026 summit on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, in San Francisco, California. REUTERS However, top Pentagon tech official Emil Michael said the supply chain risk designation was necessary because the government was concerned that Anthropic’s models would “pollute” important supply chains.

“We can’t have a company that has a different policy preference that is baked into the model through its constitution, its soul, its policy preferences, pollute the supply chain so our war fighters are getting ineffective weapons, ineffective body armor, ineffective protection,” Michael said in an interview with CNBC at the time.

Anthropic representatives did not immediately return a request for comment.

After holding Microsoft (MSFT -0.69%) for more than 10 years, I wouldn't sell a single share, not even today. The company I bought back in 2016 has changed dramatically, but mostly in ways that strengthen the original reason I owned it. Microsoft has shifted from a PC-centric software business to one built on cloud, subscriptions, enterprise software, and artificial intelligence.

So the question now is whether those changes can support another decade of compounding, and whether the stock is still a buy at today's valuation.

Image source: Getty Images.

Why Microsoft's 10-year investment case still works When I first bought Microsoft, the business was much smaller. In fiscal 2016, it generated $85.3 billion in revenue and $20.2 billion in operating income. By fiscal 2026, revenue had reached $331.8 billion and operating income $155.2 billion. Azure alone passed $100 billion in annual revenue.

The bigger change is where that growth came from. Microsoft expanded Microsoft 365, Azure, LinkedIn, Dynamics, GitHub, security, and other cloud products across largely the same enterprise customer base.

That matters over a 10-year holding period, because Microsoft doesn't need every new dollar of revenue to come from a new customer. It can deepen existing relationships by adding more products and services, which gives the company several paths to keep growing.

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Can AI drive Microsoft's next decade of growth? AI gives Microsoft another opportunity to build on that advantage. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, Azure and other cloud services revenue grew 43%, Microsoft 365 Copilot passed 30 million paid seats, and commercial remaining performance obligations rose 84% to $678 billion. The demand is real. But capturing it takes extraordinary capex.

Microsoft spent $115.9 billion on property and equipment in fiscal 2026, up 80% from the prior year, while operating cash flow rose 34% to $182.9 billion. That raises an entirely different question for a long-term shareholder. Can Microsoft's AI revenue eventually generate enough operating profit and cash flow to justify the infrastructure it's building today? There are encouraging signs.

Microsoft Cloud revenue rose 27% to $59.3 billion, and roughly 90% of full-year Microsoft Cloud revenue came from customers outside frontier model companies. That means the cloud business rests on a broad base rather than a handful of large AI labs. But strong demand still has to translate into strong returns on capital, and that's where the stock's valuation comes in.

Is Microsoft stock still worth buying at its current valuation? This is where I separate holding Microsoft from buying it aggressively. The stock trades at almost 25 times on a price-to-earnings basis, and about 22 times on a price-to-cash-flow basis. Neither looks unreasonable to me for a company of Microsoft's quality. Meanwhile, a consensus among 51 analysts rates Microsoft a Strong Buy, with only four calling it a hold. One-year price targets imply upside of up to ~40%.

The fact that I've owned the stock for more than 10 years means less than the fact that I care more about the next decade. Still, the valuation gives me reason to be selective about when I add, especially with AI infrastructure demanding this much capital. Microsoft has the scale, recurring revenue, cloud platform, and customer base to keep expanding. And if earnings continue to grow at a double-digit rate, today's multiple becomes less demanding over time.

So I'm comfortable holding every share and adding on weakness rather than chasing the stock. The real opportunity is that Microsoft comes out of this AI investment cycle with a much larger earnings base, while its cloud and enterprise businesses continue to compound. If that happens, today's valuation will look much more reasonable several years from now, and long-term shareholders will get another leg of growth.

Federal agencies can sign contracts for Microsoft's new AI government tier starting October 1, but key features may not arrive until later. Whether that gap kills the deal before it starts reveals something uncomfortable about how Microsoft is betting on…

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Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT | MSFT Price Prediction) has told federal buyers that a new top government tier of its productivity suite, plus a companion agent-management product, will be available for Government Community Cloud customers to purchase on October 1. Individual capabilities will light up in phases as each workload clears its required government security accreditation, and additional Copilot features are slated for the months after general availability.

That is the tension for Microsoft shareholders. Agencies are being asked to commit annual budget to a bundle whose roadmap is still partly pending. Whether that translates into higher revenue per government customer will depend on procurement timing and measured usage, not on the announcement. The stock closed at $497.12 and is down 2.74% over the past year, so investors are already discounting execution risk in the AI buildout.

What the G7 Tier Adds on Top The new suite layers Copilot, identity and security tooling, and agent-governance controls on top of the prior government tier. The headline addition is Agent 365, which Microsoft has framed on the commercial side as providing security operations, financial operations, observability of token spending, and manageability of token spending across business processes.

Agent governance sounds abstract but solves a concrete administrative problem. As employees spin up AI assistants, an agency needs to know which ones exist, what data they touch, and who is accountable. That is a credible reason to pay more, and it fits a platform where nearly 40 million agents are already registered across tens of thousands of companies.

Why Phased Availability Is a Commercial Risk Government authorization is a security accreditation for cloud workloads. Phased feature arrival reflects the accreditation process rather than product defects.

But an agency budgeting for a suite it cannot fully use yet has a weaker internal case, and federal procurement cycles are annual. The gap between purchase availability and feature completeness matters more here than in commercial sales, where usage-based billing lets Microsoft grow with the customer. On the commercial side, net paid seats more than doubled sequentially to over 30 million Copilot seats. Government cadence does not work that way.

Conversion, With History as Context A prior federal agreement offered eligible customers of the previous government tier Copilot at no cost for a limited period. The useful question is how many seats convert to paid once an incentive ends.

Disclosed pricing for the new tier and measured government seat conversion remain absent from the public record. Before any credible revenue forecast is possible, Microsoft would need to disclose the tier’s per-seat price, which workloads are authorized at general availability, and paid conversion from earlier no-cost federal deployments.

Satya Nadella framed the broader model this way: “This is the first time where you really have an enterprise-wide tool which has a both perceived and usage-based pricing.” Government contracts rarely absorb consumption pricing quickly.

Bull and Bear Case for MSFT Stock The bull case rests on the idea that a single federal launch cannot move the stock by itself. Azure crossed $100 billion in full-year revenue, commercial remaining performance obligations reached $678 billion, up 84%, and analysts carry an average target of $572.92 with 38 Buy and 14 Strong Buy ratings.

The bear case is capital intensity meeting uncertain conversion. Full-year capital expenditures hit $115.95 billion, free cash flow fell 23.19% in the quarter, and the shares trade at roughly 28 times earnings while the AI monetization curve, especially in government, remains unproven. That $116 billion of capex has to be powered and cooled by somebody, which is why the picks-and-shovels suppliers behind the data-center buildout keep showing up in our free report on seven AI infrastructure names that aren’t chipmakers.

The variable that decides between them is what Microsoft discloses in coming quarters about paid government seat counts and workload authorization progress, rather than the October launch itself.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman said he shared Anthropic's ‌focus on safely managing AI, but flagged risks in the way it trains its Claude chatbot on ideas related to consciousness and welfare interests.

Sky Investment Group LLC increased its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 85,671 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,009 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up approximately 5.0% of Sky Investment Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Sky Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $31,957,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Microsoft by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 717,942,580 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $347,211,391,000 after buying an additional 15,955,898 shares during the last quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its position in Microsoft by 56,160.8% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 60,116,384 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $29,073,486,000 after acquiring an additional 60,009,531 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 30.8% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 41,675,076 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $15,426,862,000 after acquiring an additional 9,814,598 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 25,300,410 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $12,235,785,000 after acquiring an additional 458,014 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 29,323,744 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $10,852,884,000 after acquiring an additional 2,784,809 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total transaction of $20,764,903.98. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,624 shares in the company, valued at $265,888,830.48. This represents a 7.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the business’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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 143,009 shares of company stock worth $71,420,699. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $640.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Microsoft from $500.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $510.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on Microsoft from $540.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Forty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $564.27. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on MSFT

Microsoft Stock Performance Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $497.12 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $460.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $420.90. 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 Corporation has a one year low of $349.20 and a one year high of $553.72. The firm has a market cap of $3.69 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.11.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%.Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.65 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.61 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders 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 currently 20.27%.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

Positive Sentiment: Dividend increased 8%: Microsoft’s board raised the quarterly dividend by $0.07 to $0.98 per share, signaling confidence in cash generation and improving shareholder returns. Microsoft announces quarterly dividend increase Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains strong: Citizens JMP reaffirmed a “Market Outperform” rating and a $550 price target, implying additional upside from the reported $497.12 reference price. Other recent commentary highlights Azure growth, Copilot adoption and Microsoft’s enterprise software strength. Positive Sentiment: Greater Azure transparency could help the stock: Microsoft plans to report Azure revenue, rather than only its growth rate, in quarterly results. The move could make the cloud business easier to value and allow investors to better assess whether AI infrastructure spending is translating into revenue. Microsoft Azure revenue reporting Positive Sentiment: Upcoming product catalyst: Microsoft scheduled a Windows and Surface event for October 7, where investors expect updates on next-generation hardware and on-device AI capabilities. Microsoft Windows and Surface event Neutral Sentiment: AI safety positioning: Microsoft’s draft “Humanist AI” code of conduct emphasizes human control, outside testing and limits on model behavior. The framework may improve trust and reduce regulatory risk, although a slower development approach could raise questions about competitiveness and commercialization. Negative Sentiment: Executive selling adds a modest overhang: EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares worth approximately $20.8 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Because the sale was scheduled in advance, it is not necessarily a signal about Microsoft’s outlook, but it adds to recent insider-selling activity. Negative Sentiment: AI execution and security concerns remain: Investors continue to weigh Microsoft’s heavy data-center investment against the time required to generate returns, while coverage of a recent large security patch highlights ongoing cybersecurity risks. Microsoft Company Profile (Free Report)

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital solutions for consumers, businesses and public-sector organizations. Its products and services include the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 productivity applications, Teams collaboration software, Dynamics business applications and Azure cloud computing services.

The company also operates LinkedIn, GitHub and Xbox, which includes gaming consoles, video games and related online services.

Read More Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Running on Empty: 3 Energy Plays for Europe’s Deep Freeze 3 Healthcare Stocks for 3 Stages of Life Curaleaf Tries To Roll Up Aurora In a Hostile Cannabis Bid MarketBeat’s Most Downgraded Stocks in Q3: 2 Look Cheap, 1 Looks Risky Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).

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Hager Investment Management Services LLC grew its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) by 12.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,677 shares of the software giant's stock after purchasing an additional 2,025 shares during the period. Microsoft

Legacy Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) by 95.2% in the undefined quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,198 shares of the software giant's stock after acquiring an additional 1,072 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises approximately 0.6%

Guidance Capital Inc. lessened its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) by 12.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,143 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 1,650 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 8.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 346,475 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 25,814 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises 0.6% of Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $129,230,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 717,942,580 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $347,211,391,000 after purchasing an additional 15,955,898 shares during the period. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 56,160.8% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 60,116,384 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $29,073,486,000 after purchasing an additional 60,009,531 shares during the period. Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 30.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 41,675,076 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $15,426,862,000 after purchasing an additional 9,814,598 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 10.5% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 29,323,744 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $10,852,884,000 after buying an additional 2,784,809 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 25,300,410 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $12,235,785,000 after buying an additional 458,014 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes MSFT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Tigress Financial increased their price target on Microsoft from $680.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, July 20th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $515.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Microsoft from $450.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Forty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $564.27.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on MSFT Insider Activity at Microsoft In related news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total transaction of $2,388,068.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,188,276.96. The trade was a 10.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 143,009 shares of company stock valued at $71,420,699. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Price Performance Microsoft stock opened at $497.12 on Wednesday. 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 Corporation has a 52 week low of $349.20 and a 52 week high of $553.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.69 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $460.39 and a 200-day moving average of $420.90.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%.The business had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.65 earnings per share. Microsoft’s revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is 20.27%.

Microsoft News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

Positive Sentiment: Dividend increased 8%: Microsoft’s board raised the quarterly dividend by $0.07 to $0.98 per share, signaling confidence in cash generation and improving shareholder returns. Microsoft announces quarterly dividend increase Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains strong: Citizens JMP reaffirmed a “Market Outperform” rating and a $550 price target, implying additional upside from the reported $497.12 reference price. Other recent commentary highlights Azure growth, Copilot adoption and Microsoft’s enterprise software strength. Positive Sentiment: Greater Azure transparency could help the stock: Microsoft plans to report Azure revenue, rather than only its growth rate, in quarterly results. The move could make the cloud business easier to value and allow investors to better assess whether AI infrastructure spending is translating into revenue. Microsoft Azure revenue reporting Positive Sentiment: Upcoming product catalyst: Microsoft scheduled a Windows and Surface event for October 7, where investors expect updates on next-generation hardware and on-device AI capabilities. Microsoft Windows and Surface event Neutral Sentiment: AI safety positioning: Microsoft’s draft “Humanist AI” code of conduct emphasizes human control, outside testing and limits on model behavior. The framework may improve trust and reduce regulatory risk, although a slower development approach could raise questions about competitiveness and commercialization. Negative Sentiment: Executive selling adds a modest overhang: EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares worth approximately $20.8 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Because the sale was scheduled in advance, it is not necessarily a signal about Microsoft’s outlook, but it adds to recent insider-selling activity. Negative Sentiment: AI execution and security concerns remain: Investors continue to weigh Microsoft’s heavy data-center investment against the time required to generate returns, while coverage of a recent large security patch highlights ongoing cybersecurity risks. Microsoft Company Profile (Free Report)

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital solutions for consumers, businesses and public-sector organizations. Its products and services include the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 productivity applications, Teams collaboration software, Dynamics business applications and Azure cloud computing services.

The company also operates LinkedIn, GitHub and Xbox, which includes gaming consoles, video games and related online services.

Featured Stories Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Running on Empty: 3 Energy Plays for Europe’s Deep Freeze 3 Healthcare Stocks for 3 Stages of Life Curaleaf Tries To Roll Up Aurora In a Hostile Cannabis Bid MarketBeat’s Most Downgraded Stocks in Q3: 2 Look Cheap, 1 Looks Risky Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).

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Microsoft (MSFT -1.64%) just reported a key milestone. On its earnings call for the fourth quarter of its fiscal 2026 (which ended June 30), it told investors that its cloud platform, Azure, had surpassed $100 billion in annual revenue for the first time.

The disclosure might have been more meaningful to investors if this had not been the first public revelation of Azure's revenues. The company plans to remedy this by regularly reporting Azure revenue moving forward. Still, the stock has made only modest gains in 2026, which may leave investors wondering whether it is still a buy.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

The state of Microsoft stock Microsoft stock is up by about 3% this year. However, that's a stark improvement over where it was a few months ago. The stock suffered a 27% year-to-date decline this summer before recovering.

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497.12

Anxiety about the company's massive capital expenditures (which were $116 billion in its fiscal 2026) may have weighed on the stock. Its Copilot platform suffers from a perception that it is not the AI engine of choice unless one is operating on a Microsoft platform such as Windows or Visual Studio.

Additionally, its tight relationship with OpenAI has become a mixed blessing. In the early days, Azure had exclusive hosting rights to frontier models like GPT-6 and earlier versions, and Microsoft embedded OpenAI technology in many of its products.

Still, for a time, it made Microsoft overly dependent on OpenAI, hampering in-house development. Over time, both companies wanted to develop AI separate from one another, and that separation may have left Microsoft behind its competitors in some respects.

Amid that situation, the news that Azure surpassed $100 billion in yearly revenue gave investors confidence that the company's AI efforts had begun to bear fruit.

Also, in fiscal 2026, revenue increased by 18% to $332 billion. The cost of revenue and expenses grew more slowly than that. Hence, Microsoft earned 31% more than it did a year ago, reporting $134 billion in net income for the fiscal year.

Consequently, Microsoft's shortcomings are more a question of relative performance. Its P/E ratio of 28 is arguably reasonable given its growth. Nonetheless, Alphabet's revenue grew by 24% in the first half of 2026, and its P/E ratio is just 17. Also, with Amazon trading at 20 times earnings, Microsoft stock appears to offer a less attractive value proposition.

Investing in Microsoft At current levels, Microsoft appears fairly valued.

Indeed, the $100 billion in Azure revenue and the income growth show the company is holding its own. Also, even amid its competition, holding an edge on Microsoft platforms carries significant value.

Unfortunately, the stock continues to underperform its peers. Users have gravitated toward other AI platforms outside of Microsoft environments. Moreover, its hyperscaler rivals, Alphabet and Amazon, are available at lower valuations.

Hence, while Microsoft shareholders should continue to hold onto their positions, they should probably put available cash to work in other investments as well.

Annual shareholders meeting set for Dec. 8, 2026

, /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday announced that its board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.98 per share, reflecting a 7 cent or 8% increase over the previous quarter's dividend. The dividend is payable Dec. 10, 2026, to shareholders of record on Nov. 19, 2026. The ex-dividend date will be Nov. 19, 2026.

In addition, the company announced the 2026 Annual Shareholders Meeting will be held Dec. 8, 2026. Shareholders at the close of business on Sept. 30, 2026, the record date, will be entitled to vote their shares.

This year's annual shareholders meeting will be held virtually and hosted by Satya Nadella, chairman and chief executive officer; Amy Hood, executive vice president and chief financial officer; Brad Smith, vice chair and president; and Sandra E. Peterson, Microsoft lead independent director.

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) creates platforms and tools powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.

by Lisa Stiffler on

An aerial view of Orion, Helion Energy’s planned fusion plant being built in Malaga, Wash. (Helion Photo) Helion Energy on Tuesday said that it added $35 million to a funding round initially announced in June. The Everett, Wash.-based fusion company originally shared news of a $465 million Series G round.

“After initially closing the round earlier this summer, we are excited to bring on several new investors and to have a round that includes crossover, pension, and sovereign wealth investors,” said David Kirtley, Helion’s co-founder and CEO, in a post on LinkedIn. Kirtley said the investment now totals $500 million.

The company aims to be the first in the world to commercialize fusion, replicating the reactions that power the sun and stars to produce nearly limitless clean energy. It has raised more than $1.5 billion to date.

Last week Helion celebrated the opening of its first office in downtown Seattle as its headcount tops 800 employees.

The company is racing to hit an ambitious timeline, having signed a deal with Microsoft three years ago to supply energy to a Central Washington data center by 2028. The company broke ground on the 50-megawatt plant, dubbed Orion, in July 2025.

But Helion’s timing for hitting that energy target remains uncertain. When it announced the agreement with Microsoft, the company stated that Orion was “expected to be online by 2028 and will target power generation of 50 MW or greater after a 1-year ramp up period.”

Axios recently reported that full capacity might not be hit until 2030, according to a Helion executive. The news site also cited two scientific publications by plasma physicists questioning the company’s ability to produce a sufficient amount of energy from its fusion devices to power the grid, though Helion has responded to concerns raised by both on its FAQ site.

That said, Helion is hustling to resolve technical challenges. GeekWire in May reported on Tiny Merge, a small-scale testbed device the company is building at its R&D facility to answer questions its larger, more expensive prototypes haven’t — questions that need answers before final power plant designs are locked in.

Kirtley, however, remains bullish on the company’s trajectory and the vote of support from investors.

“Technical milestones remain the most important to me and the company,” he said, “but this new funding demonstrates the growing demand for, and confidence in, fusion energy and Helion’s ability to deliver fusion energy to the grid.”

Microsoft MSFT , the enterprise-software and cloud-computing giant, published a draft code of conduct for its internally developed AI models as the industry wrestles with how far frontier systems should be allowed to go. Shares traded at $499.27 Tuesday, with the latest valuation snapshot showing Microsoft below its estimated GF Value. The timing is notable: investors are no longer watching only how quickly Microsoft can build more capable AI, but also how tightly the company can control the technology as spending continues to climb.

Microsoft's 37-page framework says its AI systems should remain under human authority, including accepting correction, interruption and shutdown. The draft also rejects giving AI systems legal personhood or encouraging them to imitate consciousness. Microsoft is opening the framework to a six-week consultation before producing a revised version intended to influence model development in 2027 and beyond. Importantly, the company also makes clear that its existing models were not trained using the new code and that written rules alone cannot guarantee how an AI system will behave.

That leaves investors with a simple but expensive question: can Microsoft keep pushing the AI frontier without turning safety controls into a brake on commercial performance? The valuation picture gives that debate another layer. Microsoft's $499.27 share price sits 14.62% below the $584.75 GF Value estimate shown in the chart, suggesting the stock is trading below GuruFocus' estimate of fair value. With Microsoft generating roughly $90 billion in quarterly revenue and pouring almost $10 billion into research and development, the payoff will depend on whether those billions create AI products that are both powerful enough to win customers and controlled enough to earn their trust.

As Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) stock successfully rebounded from its multi-year support level around $355 over the past two months through September 15, 2026, Patrick Walravens, a Wall Street analyst at Citizens, has signaled a cautiously positive outlook.

Walravens reiterated a ‘Market Outperform’ rating for Microsoft stock, according to a note sent to clients on Tuesday. This research analyst maintained the firm’s 12-month price target for MSFT at $550.

With Microsoft stock trading at $501.47 at the time of writing, Walravens suggests a potential 9.68% upside over the next 12 months. Citizens issued a cautiously positive statement on Microsoft stock despite having gained approximately 7% year-to-date (YTD) compared to 11% for the S&P 500, as the company operates within an evolving and volatile technology landscape.

Furthermore, the ‘Buy’ rating was reaffirmed amid five days of intense industry debate over artificial intelligence (AI) safety and oversight. Between September 9 and September 12, Jacob Coxon, who is a former Anthropic and OpenAI employee; Evan Hubinger, currently Anthropic’s Alignment Science Lead; David Sacks, who is a top political adviser to President Donald Trump; and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei all publicly raised critical concerns regarding the dangerous speed of artificial intelligence development.

Is Microsoft a good stock to buy? At the time of publication, 34 Wall Street analysts surveyed by TipRanks over the past 3 months have set an average 12-month price target of $571.41. 

Microsoft stock forecast for 12 months. Source: TipRanks The highest 12-month price target for Microsoft is $700, while the lowest is $510. Consequently, more Wall Street experts believe that MSFT has higher chances of upside than downside over the next 12 months. 

MSFT price performance  Over the past 12 months, MSFT predominantly experienced a selloff, down from $509.04 on September 16, 2025 to about $350 on June 25, 206. However, MSFT’s price has rebounded since late June, thereby pushing the company’s market capitalization to $3.8 trillion.

MSFT price chart for 12 months. Source: Finbold If MSFT maintains its recent uptrend momentum, the bullish targets from these Wall Street firms could be achieved earlier.

Featured image via Shutterstock

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C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors reduced its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,991 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 2,046 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up 0.6% of C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors’ holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors’ holdings in Microsoft were worth $12,679,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allied Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 3.0% during the second quarter. Allied Investment Advisors LLC now owns 68,125 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $25,412,000 after acquiring an additional 1,984 shares during the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 34.1% in the 2nd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 2,726 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after purchasing an additional 693 shares during the last quarter. Koa Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter. Koa Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,832 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,802,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. Acorn Financial Advisory Services Inc. ADV increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Acorn Financial Advisory Services Inc. ADV now owns 5,102 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,903,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Financial Private Client LLC raised its holdings in Microsoft by 8.6% in the 2nd quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 19,540 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $7,289,000 after buying an additional 1,547 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

Positive Sentiment: Microsoft published a 37-page draft code of conduct for its in-house AI models, emphasizing that advanced AI should remain under meaningful human control and should not deceive people, resist shutdown, or hack systems. Investors appeared to interpret the framework as a way to address regulatory and reputational risks while supporting enterprise adoption. Microsoft drafts code of conduct to keep its AI under human control Positive Sentiment: Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman called for greater coordination among leading AI companies, including third-party disclosure of model capabilities. The move may help Microsoft position itself as a responsible AI leader as safety concerns and potential regulation intensify. Microsoft AI chief: Now’s the time for top labs to coordinate on safety Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary remains supportive of Microsoft’s fundamentals, citing Azure growth, more than $100 billion in annual Azure revenue, strong Copilot adoption, and a large cloud backlog. Bank of America reportedly raised its price target to $600, while other analysts maintain Buy or Outperform ratings. Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is one of the few major hyperscalers still maintaining share repurchases while expanding AI infrastructure, potentially supporting per-share earnings if cash generation remains strong. The End of Big Tech Buybacks Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft plans a substantial expansion of global data-center capacity to meet AI and cloud demand. The investment reinforces long-term growth prospects, but returns will depend on converting heavy spending on power, land, and computing equipment into durable revenue and margins. Microsoft to triple data centre capacity Negative Sentiment: Chipmaker weakness, rising Treasury yields, and concerns that AI development may need to slow pressured the wider technology sector. These factors could weigh on Microsoft’s valuation despite its relative strength and defensive enterprise-software exposure. S&P 500, Nasdaq, Dow Drop on Chipmaker Weakness Microsoft Stock Performance NASDAQ MSFT opened at $505.41 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $553.72. The company has a market capitalization of $3.75 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a fifty day moving average of $458.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $420.22. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%.The business had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.65 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $550.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. Evercore set a $528.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $515.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Forty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $564.27.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Microsoft

Insider Buying and Selling In related news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the completion of the sale, 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. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. This represents a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 101,335 shares of company stock worth $50,655,795 in the last quarter. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Microsoft (Free Report)

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital solutions for consumers, businesses and public-sector organizations. Its products and services include the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 productivity applications, Teams collaboration software, Dynamics business applications and Azure cloud computing services.

The company also operates LinkedIn, GitHub and Xbox, which includes gaming consoles, video games and related online services.

Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Analysts Are Punting Their Calls Into the Next Quarter After Adobe’s Mixed Earnings Institutional Money Is Pouring Into These 2 Altcoin ETFs The End of Big Tech Buybacks? Only One Hyperscaler Is Still Repurchasing Shares 3 Dividend Kings to Buy While They’re Still Beaten Down Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Microsoft Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Microsoft and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

Cottage Street Advisors LLC reduced its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,169 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,179 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 3.1% of Cottage Street Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Cottage Street Advisors LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $7,942,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fairway Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 287.0% during the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 89 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Frankly Finances LLC purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth approximately $101,000. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth approximately $124,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus cut their target price on Microsoft from $620.00 to $510.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Microsoft from $450.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Microsoft from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Forty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $564.27.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Microsoft Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft In related news, 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 directly owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at $49,007,086.83. This represents a 9.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 101,335 shares of company stock worth $50,655,795 in the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

Positive Sentiment: Microsoft published a 37-page draft code of conduct for its in-house AI models, emphasizing that advanced AI should remain under meaningful human control and should not deceive people, resist shutdown, or hack systems. Investors appeared to interpret the framework as a way to address regulatory and reputational risks while supporting enterprise adoption. Microsoft drafts code of conduct to keep its AI under human control Positive Sentiment: Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman called for greater coordination among leading AI companies, including third-party disclosure of model capabilities. The move may help Microsoft position itself as a responsible AI leader as safety concerns and potential regulation intensify. Microsoft AI chief: Now’s the time for top labs to coordinate on safety Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary remains supportive of Microsoft’s fundamentals, citing Azure growth, more than $100 billion in annual Azure revenue, strong Copilot adoption, and a large cloud backlog. Bank of America reportedly raised its price target to $600, while other analysts maintain Buy or Outperform ratings. Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is one of the few major hyperscalers still maintaining share repurchases while expanding AI infrastructure, potentially supporting per-share earnings if cash generation remains strong. The End of Big Tech Buybacks Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft plans a substantial expansion of global data-center capacity to meet AI and cloud demand. The investment reinforces long-term growth prospects, but returns will depend on converting heavy spending on power, land, and computing equipment into durable revenue and margins. Microsoft to triple data centre capacity Negative Sentiment: Chipmaker weakness, rising Treasury yields, and concerns that AI development may need to slow pressured the wider technology sector. These factors could weigh on Microsoft’s valuation despite its relative strength and defensive enterprise-software exposure. S&P 500, Nasdaq, Dow Drop on Chipmaker Weakness Microsoft Stock Up 2.0% NASDAQ MSFT opened at $505.41 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $458.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $420.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.23. The company has a market cap of $3.75 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.11. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $349.20 and a one year high of $553.72.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.65 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Microsoft (Free Report)

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital solutions for consumers, businesses and public-sector organizations. Its products and services include the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 productivity applications, Teams collaboration software, Dynamics business applications and Azure cloud computing services.

The company also operates LinkedIn, GitHub and Xbox, which includes gaming consoles, video games and related online services.

Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Analysts Are Punting Their Calls Into the Next Quarter After Adobe’s Mixed Earnings Institutional Money Is Pouring Into These 2 Altcoin ETFs The End of Big Tech Buybacks? Only One Hyperscaler Is Still Repurchasing Shares 3 Dividend Kings to Buy While They’re Still Beaten Down Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Microsoft Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Microsoft and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 4.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,548 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 1,804 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises 2.0% of Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $16,244,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairway Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 287.0% during the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 89 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Frankly Finances LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at about $35,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at about $59,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $101,000. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $124,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling In other news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total transaction of $2,388,068.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 101,335 shares of company stock worth $50,655,795. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Microsoft News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week: Positive Sentiment: Microsoft published a 37-page draft code of conduct for its in-house AI models, emphasizing that advanced AI should remain under meaningful human control and should not deceive people, resist shutdown, or hack systems. Investors appeared to interpret the framework as a way to address regulatory and reputational risks while supporting enterprise adoption. Microsoft drafts code of conduct to keep its AI under human control Positive Sentiment: Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman called for greater coordination among leading AI companies, including third-party disclosure of model capabilities. The move may help Microsoft position itself as a responsible AI leader as safety concerns and potential regulation intensify. Microsoft AI chief: Now’s the time for top labs to coordinate on safety Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary remains supportive of Microsoft’s fundamentals, citing Azure growth, more than $100 billion in annual Azure revenue, strong Copilot adoption, and a large cloud backlog. Bank of America reportedly raised its price target to $600, while other analysts maintain Buy or Outperform ratings. Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is one of the few major hyperscalers still maintaining share repurchases while expanding AI infrastructure, potentially supporting per-share earnings if cash generation remains strong. The End of Big Tech Buybacks Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft plans a substantial expansion of global data-center capacity to meet AI and cloud demand. The investment reinforces long-term growth prospects, but returns will depend on converting heavy spending on power, land, and computing equipment into durable revenue and margins. Microsoft to triple data centre capacity Negative Sentiment: Chipmaker weakness, rising Treasury yields, and concerns that AI development may need to slow pressured the wider technology sector. These factors could weigh on Microsoft’s valuation despite its relative strength and defensive enterprise-software exposure. S&P 500, Nasdaq, Dow Drop on Chipmaker Weakness Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $550.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $540.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $510.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group set a $525.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Forty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $564.27.

Read Our Latest Report on MSFT

Microsoft Stock Up 2.0% Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $505.41 on Tuesday. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $553.72. The company has a market capitalization of $3.75 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $458.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $420.22.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%.The company had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.65 earnings per share. Microsoft’s revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Profile (Free Report)

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital solutions for consumers, businesses and public-sector organizations. Its products and services include the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 productivity applications, Teams collaboration software, Dynamics business applications and Azure cloud computing services.

The company also operates LinkedIn, GitHub and Xbox, which includes gaming consoles, video games and related online services.

Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Analysts Are Punting Their Calls Into the Next Quarter After Adobe’s Mixed Earnings Institutional Money Is Pouring Into These 2 Altcoin ETFs The End of Big Tech Buybacks? Only One Hyperscaler Is Still Repurchasing Shares 3 Dividend Kings to Buy While They’re Still Beaten Down

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Rydar Equities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 11.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,135 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,211 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises about 2.7% of Rydar Equities Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Rydar Equities Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $4,756,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 717,942,580 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $347,211,391,000 after buying an additional 15,955,898 shares during the period. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 56,160.8% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 60,116,384 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $29,073,486,000 after acquiring an additional 60,009,531 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 30.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 41,675,076 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $15,426,862,000 after acquiring an additional 9,814,598 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 10.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 29,323,744 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $10,852,884,000 after acquiring an additional 2,784,809 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 25,300,410 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $12,235,785,000 after acquiring an additional 458,014 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft Trading Up 2.0% NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $505.41 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $458.23 and its 200-day moving average is $420.22. 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 12 month low of $349.20 and a 12 month high of $553.72. The firm has a market cap of $3.75 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.11.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.65 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.59 EPS for the current year. More Microsoft News Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

Positive Sentiment: Microsoft published a 37-page draft code of conduct for its in-house AI models, emphasizing that advanced AI should remain under meaningful human control and should not deceive people, resist shutdown, or hack systems. Investors appeared to interpret the framework as a way to address regulatory and reputational risks while supporting enterprise adoption. Microsoft drafts code of conduct to keep its AI under human control Positive Sentiment: Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman called for greater coordination among leading AI companies, including third-party disclosure of model capabilities. The move may help Microsoft position itself as a responsible AI leader as safety concerns and potential regulation intensify. Microsoft AI chief: Now’s the time for top labs to coordinate on safety Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary remains supportive of Microsoft’s fundamentals, citing Azure growth, more than $100 billion in annual Azure revenue, strong Copilot adoption, and a large cloud backlog. Bank of America reportedly raised its price target to $600, while other analysts maintain Buy or Outperform ratings. Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is one of the few major hyperscalers still maintaining share repurchases while expanding AI infrastructure, potentially supporting per-share earnings if cash generation remains strong. The End of Big Tech Buybacks Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft plans a substantial expansion of global data-center capacity to meet AI and cloud demand. The investment reinforces long-term growth prospects, but returns will depend on converting heavy spending on power, land, and computing equipment into durable revenue and margins. Microsoft to triple data centre capacity Negative Sentiment: Chipmaker weakness, rising Treasury yields, and concerns that AI development may need to slow pressured the wider technology sector. These factors could weigh on Microsoft’s valuation despite its relative strength and defensive enterprise-software exposure. S&P 500, Nasdaq, Dow Drop on Chipmaker Weakness Insider Transactions at Microsoft In related news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total transaction of $2,388,068.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,188,276.96. The trade was a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were 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 approximately $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 101,335 shares of company stock worth $50,655,795. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MSFT. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Microsoft from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. CLSA reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Microsoft from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $586.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, August 31st. Forty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $564.27.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on MSFT

About Microsoft (Free Report)

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital solutions for consumers, businesses and public-sector organizations. Its products and services include the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 productivity applications, Teams collaboration software, Dynamics business applications and Azure cloud computing services.

The company also operates LinkedIn, GitHub and Xbox, which includes gaming consoles, video games and related online services.

Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Analysts Are Punting Their Calls Into the Next Quarter After Adobe’s Mixed Earnings Institutional Money Is Pouring Into These 2 Altcoin ETFs The End of Big Tech Buybacks? Only One Hyperscaler Is Still Repurchasing Shares 3 Dividend Kings to Buy While They’re Still Beaten Down

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Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lessened its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,183,550 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 50,104 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up approximately 4.4% of Gateway Investment Advisers LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $441,488,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Interchange Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 31.0% in the 2nd quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 32,455 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $12,108,000 after purchasing an additional 7,682 shares in the last quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 260,246 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $97,077,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the last quarter. Owl Creek Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 2.3% during the second quarter. Owl Creek Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,709 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,876,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 4.3% during the second quarter. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC now owns 43,548 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $16,244,000 after purchasing an additional 1,804 shares in the last quarter. Finally, John W. Brooker & Co. CPAs increased its holdings in Microsoft by 8.2% in the second quarter. John W. Brooker & Co. CPAs now owns 1,312 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $490,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth MSFT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays cut their price target on Microsoft from $545.00 to $512.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $540.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $550.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $515.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, August 31st. Forty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $564.27.

View Our Latest Analysis on MSFT Microsoft News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

Positive Sentiment: Microsoft published a 37-page draft code of conduct for its in-house AI models, emphasizing that advanced AI should remain under meaningful human control and should not deceive people, resist shutdown, or hack systems. Investors appeared to interpret the framework as a way to address regulatory and reputational risks while supporting enterprise adoption. Microsoft drafts code of conduct to keep its AI under human control Positive Sentiment: Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman called for greater coordination among leading AI companies, including third-party disclosure of model capabilities. The move may help Microsoft position itself as a responsible AI leader as safety concerns and potential regulation intensify. Microsoft AI chief: Now’s the time for top labs to coordinate on safety Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary remains supportive of Microsoft’s fundamentals, citing Azure growth, more than $100 billion in annual Azure revenue, strong Copilot adoption, and a large cloud backlog. Bank of America reportedly raised its price target to $600, while other analysts maintain Buy or Outperform ratings. Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is one of the few major hyperscalers still maintaining share repurchases while expanding AI infrastructure, potentially supporting per-share earnings if cash generation remains strong. The End of Big Tech Buybacks Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft plans a substantial expansion of global data-center capacity to meet AI and cloud demand. The investment reinforces long-term growth prospects, but returns will depend on converting heavy spending on power, land, and computing equipment into durable revenue and margins. Microsoft to triple data centre capacity Negative Sentiment: Chipmaker weakness, rising Treasury yields, and concerns that AI development may need to slow pressured the wider technology sector. These factors could weigh on Microsoft’s valuation despite its relative strength and defensive enterprise-software exposure. S&P 500, Nasdaq, Dow Drop on Chipmaker Weakness Insider Transactions at Microsoft In other 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 transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the firm’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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 101,335 shares of company stock worth $50,655,795. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Price Performance Microsoft stock opened at $505.41 on Tuesday. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $349.20 and a 12 month high of $553.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $458.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $420.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.75 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.11.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.65 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.59 earnings per share for the current year.

About Microsoft (Free Report)

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital solutions for consumers, businesses and public-sector organizations. Its products and services include the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 productivity applications, Teams collaboration software, Dynamics business applications and Azure cloud computing services.

The company also operates LinkedIn, GitHub and Xbox, which includes gaming consoles, video games and related online services.

Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Analysts Are Punting Their Calls Into the Next Quarter After Adobe’s Mixed Earnings Institutional Money Is Pouring Into These 2 Altcoin ETFs The End of Big Tech Buybacks? Only One Hyperscaler Is Still Repurchasing Shares 3 Dividend Kings to Buy While They’re Still Beaten Down Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Microsoft Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Microsoft and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

Hamilton Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 12.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 57,868 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 6,339 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up about 6.3% of Hamilton Capital Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Hamilton Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $21,586,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Frankly Finances LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Fairway Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Microsoft by 287.0% in the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 89 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth approximately $59,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth approximately $101,000. Finally, Ramsey Quantitative Systems purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $112,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Performance MSFT stock opened at $505.41 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $458.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $420.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $553.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.75 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.11.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%.The business had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.65 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

Positive Sentiment: Microsoft published a 37-page draft code of conduct for its in-house AI models, emphasizing that advanced AI should remain under meaningful human control and should not deceive people, resist shutdown, or hack systems. Investors appeared to interpret the framework as a way to address regulatory and reputational risks while supporting enterprise adoption. Microsoft drafts code of conduct to keep its AI under human control Positive Sentiment: Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman called for greater coordination among leading AI companies, including third-party disclosure of model capabilities. The move may help Microsoft position itself as a responsible AI leader as safety concerns and potential regulation intensify. Microsoft AI chief: Now’s the time for top labs to coordinate on safety Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary remains supportive of Microsoft’s fundamentals, citing Azure growth, more than $100 billion in annual Azure revenue, strong Copilot adoption, and a large cloud backlog. Bank of America reportedly raised its price target to $600, while other analysts maintain Buy or Outperform ratings. Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is one of the few major hyperscalers still maintaining share repurchases while expanding AI infrastructure, potentially supporting per-share earnings if cash generation remains strong. The End of Big Tech Buybacks Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft plans a substantial expansion of global data-center capacity to meet AI and cloud demand. The investment reinforces long-term growth prospects, but returns will depend on converting heavy spending on power, land, and computing equipment into durable revenue and margins. Microsoft to triple data centre capacity Negative Sentiment: Chipmaker weakness, rising Treasury yields, and concerns that AI development may need to slow pressured the wider technology sector. These factors could weigh on Microsoft’s valuation despite its relative strength and defensive enterprise-software exposure. S&P 500, Nasdaq, Dow Drop on Chipmaker Weakness Insider Activity 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 shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $49,007,086.83. This represents a 9.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 101,335 shares of company stock valued at $50,655,795 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Microsoft from $540.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $550.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $660.00 price target on Microsoft in a report on Monday, August 10th. Evercore set a $528.00 price target on Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Forty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $564.27.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Microsoft

Microsoft Company Profile (Free Report)

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital solutions for consumers, businesses and public-sector organizations. Its products and services include the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 productivity applications, Teams collaboration software, Dynamics business applications and Azure cloud computing services.

The company also operates LinkedIn, GitHub and Xbox, which includes gaming consoles, video games and related online services.

Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Analysts Are Punting Their Calls Into the Next Quarter After Adobe’s Mixed Earnings Institutional Money Is Pouring Into These 2 Altcoin ETFs The End of Big Tech Buybacks? Only One Hyperscaler Is Still Repurchasing Shares 3 Dividend Kings to Buy While They’re Still Beaten Down

Receive News & Ratings for Microsoft Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Microsoft and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

Microsoft is still at least properly valued, if not discounted, after a 27% six-month rally and strong recent earnings. AI fears have largely cleared, with Azure growth accelerating to 43% and management highlighting robust cloud and AI demand outpacing supply. MSFT's new 'seat plus consumption' model, including rapid M365 Copilot adoption, supports recurring revenue growth and strategic positioning.

Microsoft (MSFT +1.97%)'s Azure business is a big driving force behind how the tech stock does. When its growth rate is strong, so too is the enthusiasm behind the stock. But if there are concerns about how the cloud business is doing, then there can be a pullback, as there was earlier this year when Azure's growth rate slowed.

The tech company recently announced a reporting change that will put even greater focus on Azure. And that could be a good thing for the stock.

Image source: Getty Images.

Microsoft will start reporting Azure's revenueThe big focus for investors in the past when it came to Microsoft's stock has centered around Azure's growth rate. And unsurprisingly, when it came in better than expected when the company posted its most recent results in July, the stock ended up rising sharply afterward.

Now, the company is going to start reporting the actual quarterly revenue it generates from Azure, rather than just the growth rate. It comes as the company reduces the number of reporting segments it has from three to two, with one particularly focused on artificial intelligence (AI): Agents and Infra. The other is Devices and Consumer. It's the Agents and Infra segment that is expected to be the much larger of the two, with its projected revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2027 expected to be north of $75 billion, versus around $15 billion for Devices and Consumer.

Microsoft has been investing heavily in AI, and the strength of its Azure business benefits from that. Normally, when companies aren't doing well in a particular area, they may be tempted to obscure the numbers a bit. In Microsoft's case, with it putting Azure and its AI-related revenue more front and center, it's showing confidence in those areas of its business, and that's what investors likely want to see from the company as well: that its AI strategy is delivering strong results.

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Moneyball Superscore

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It's not too late to buy Microsoft's stockAlthough Microsoft's stock has been rallying since it released its earnings numbers in July, it's still an attractive-looking buy right now. It's trading at 28 times its trailing earnings, which isn't all that expensive, especially given how pricey other tech stocks are; investors are paying 38 times earnings for a piece of Apple's business.

For long-term investors, now may be as good a time as any to buy Microsoft's stock. The business is doing well, and its AI strategy may be picking up steam. It can be an ideal investment to just buy and forget about.

Concerns about the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and the adequacy of safety measures have gained significant attention recently. This discus

Microsoft and Alphabet both posted monster cloud quarters and both are spending at a pace that would have seemed reckless two years ago, but only one of them is funding the buildout without going to the debt markets, and that…

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT | MSFT Price Prediction) and Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) both just reported blockbuster cloud quarters, and both are pouring unprecedented sums into AI infrastructure. The question investors keep asking is simple: whose capex is actually converting into durable revenue? Microsoft leaned on Azure discipline and monetized capacity. Alphabet leaned on raw growth, taking on debt and pausing buybacks to fund the buildout.

Azure Crossed $100 Billion. Google Cloud Grew Faster. Microsoft’s fiscal Q4 landed with revenue of $90.01 billion, up 17.8%, and Azure grew 43% year-over-year. Azure crossed $100 billion in annual revenue for the first time, and commercial remaining performance obligations jumped 84% to $678 billion. That backlog is the tell. Customers have already committed the cash. CEO Satya Nadella framed the quarter as “advancing the frontier on the cost-to-outcome curve.”

Alphabet’s Q2 was louder on the top line. Revenue climbed 24.2% to $119.80 billion, and Google Cloud accelerated to 82% growth, reaching $24.77 billion. Sundar Pichai noted that “nearly 90% of the Fortune 100” use Gemini Enterprise. Impressive. The catch is what it cost.

Capex Is Where the Strategies Diverge Metric Microsoft (FY26) Alphabet (Q2 26) Capital expenditures $115.95B full year $44.92B in one quarter Operating cash flow $182.9B annual $39.07B quarterly Free cash flow $66.99B annual -$5.86B in Q2 Financing move Dividends and buybacks continue $70B raised, buyback suspended Microsoft is funding a monster buildout from within. Alphabet went to the debt and equity markets to keep pace, lifting long-term debt from $46.5 billion to $98.2 billion and pushing interest expense up nearly 5x. CFO Amy Hood argued Microsoft’s structure gives it optionality, saying “if the demand environment changes, you just slow down what is, in fact, the largest component.” That flexibility matters when GPUs depreciate fast.

Who Is Monetizing the Silicon Better Microsoft 365 Copilot passed 30 million paid seats, and Hood said “additional in-quarter capacity for Azure was quickly monetized.” Alphabet counters with reach: Gemini processes 22 billion API tokens per minute, and the Gemini App has 950 million monthly active users. Consumer scale, yes. Enterprise dollars per GPU-hour, less clear.

What Investors Should Track Into 2027 I will be watching Azure’s guided approximately 45% constant-currency growth for Q1 FY27 against Google Cloud’s ability to keep 80%-plus growth without another capital raise. If Alphabet’s free cash flow stays negative into 2027, the buyback pause gets uncomfortable.

Why I Give Microsoft the Edge Right Now For me, Microsoft looks ahead on spending discipline. A $678 billion RPO and self-funded capex beat a faster growth rate paid for with $70 billion of fresh capital. Alphabet trades at a cheaper P/E of 15 versus Microsoft’s 28, which suits a value-tilted investor betting the cloud acceleration continues. Growth investors get the story. Cash-flow investors get Microsoft.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.