Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Holdings Raised by Legacy Trust

Legacy Trust raised its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 0.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 40,933 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for approximately 3.7% of Legacy Trust’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Legacy Trust’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $15,366,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Baker Chad R raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% in the first quarter. Baker Chad R now owns 53,660 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $20,143,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Thomasville National Bank raised its holdings in Microsoft by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Thomasville National Bank now owns 184,599 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $69,297,000 after acquiring an additional 3,374 shares during the last quarter. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 229,957 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $86,324,000 after purchasing an additional 4,810 shares during the period. Ballew Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 1.6% during the first quarter. Ballew Advisors Inc now owns 2,537 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $985,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, May Barnhard Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 7.3% during the first quarter. May Barnhard Investments LLC now owns 3,404 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,278,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Down 0.1%

MSFT stock opened at $503.02 on Tuesday. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $344.79 and a 52 week high of $506.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The company has a market capitalization of $3.74 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.04. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $471.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $426.18.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The software giant reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.24. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.79% and a return on equity of 32.74%. The firm had revenue of $70.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.54 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.94 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.66%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is 25.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MSFT. Scotiabank raised their price target on Microsoft from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $475.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $480.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, TD Securities boosted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $534.14.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.77, for a total transaction of $9,756,055.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 134,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,208,127.76. This represents a 13.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $463.00, for a total value of $1,389,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,339,590. This trade represents a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 135,743 shares of company stock worth $60,224,683. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

About Microsoft

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