Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Sold by RiverPark Advisors LLC

RiverPark Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 9.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,972 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,808 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for 5.6% of RiverPark Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. RiverPark Advisors LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $6,120,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MSFT. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 1.5% in the second quarter. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC now owns 10,375 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $3,533,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,438,386 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,192,528,000 after purchasing an additional 20,329 shares in the last quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.9% during the second quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 14,635 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $4,984,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,333,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 1.1% in the second quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,245 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $4,170,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.20% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 26,815 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.37, for a total value of $8,778,426.55. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 198,373 shares in the company, valued at $64,941,369.01. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Microsoft news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 38,234 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.43, for a total transaction of $12,557,192.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 800,668 shares in the company, valued at $262,963,391.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 26,815 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.37, for a total transaction of $8,778,426.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 198,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $64,941,369.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSFT has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $400.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $390.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, October 25th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $410.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, October 25th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, October 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Microsoft from $330.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $384.34.

Microsoft Stock Up 1.1 %

Microsoft stock opened at $360.53 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Microsoft Co. has a 12-month low of $219.35 and a 12-month high of $366.78. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $330.14 and its 200 day moving average is $327.98. The company has a market capitalization of $2.68 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.90, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.88.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 24th. The software giant reported $2.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.34. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.31% and a return on equity of 38.79%. The firm had revenue of $56.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $54.52 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.35 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 16th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 15th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.33%.

Microsoft 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.