Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Holdings Boosted by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 6.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,696,012 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 209,926 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for about 5.2% of Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $1,065,560,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Affiance Financial LLC grew its stake in Microsoft by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Affiance Financial LLC now owns 10,362 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $2,988,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Henrickson Nauta Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Microsoft by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Henrickson Nauta Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,898 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $835,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Forbes Financial Planning Inc. grew its stake in Microsoft by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Forbes Financial Planning Inc. now owns 1,845 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $532,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Rede Wealth LLC grew its stake in Microsoft by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Rede Wealth LLC now owns 9,653 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $2,783,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Verus Financial Partners Inc. grew its stake in Microsoft by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Verus Financial Partners Inc. now owns 4,216 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.20% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Up 0.3 %

MSFT stock opened at $328.66 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $332.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $308.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.77. Microsoft Co. has a fifty-two week low of $213.43 and a fifty-two week high of $366.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.44 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.92, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.90.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 25th. The software giant reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.14. Microsoft had a net margin of 34.15% and a return on equity of 38.70%. The firm had revenue of $56.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.23 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 10.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 16th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 28.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on MSFT. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $232.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 20th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $425.00 to $420.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 26th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $335.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 6th. Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $320.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, July 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and thirty-three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $373.68.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $337.20, for a total value of $16,860,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 588,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $198,301,924.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Company Profile

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