Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Has $112.74 Million Stock Position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL lessened its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 331,054 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,727 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for about 3.3% of Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $112,737,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Monumental Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Syverson Strege & Co increased its holdings in Microsoft by 157.0% during the 1st quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 203 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 39.0% during the 2nd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 303 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Alapocas Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the 1st quarter valued at $97,000. Finally, MayTech Global Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at $83,000. Institutional investors own 69.20% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Up 2.1 %

MSFT stock opened at $377.44 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.81 trillion, a P/E ratio of 36.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.88. The business has a 50-day moving average of $336.96 and a 200-day moving average of $332.47. Microsoft Co. has a fifty-two week low of $219.35 and a fifty-two week high of $378.87.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 24th. The software giant reported $2.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.34. Microsoft had a return on equity of 38.79% and a net margin of 35.31%. The firm had revenue of $56.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $54.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.35 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 11.13 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 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 15th. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is 29.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSFT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $415.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, October 16th. StockNews.com began coverage on Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Barclays lifted their target price on Microsoft from $410.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Microsoft from $400.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 25th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities boosted their target price on Microsoft from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $388.06.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In related news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 38,234 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 1st. The stock was 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 directly owns 800,668 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $262,963,391.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 38,234 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 1st. The stock was 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 directly owns 800,668 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $262,963,391.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 26,815 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 198,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $64,941,369.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

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.