Spectrum Asset Management Inc. NB CA Boosts Stock Holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Spectrum Asset Management Inc. NB CA boosted its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,474 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises approximately 2.1% of Spectrum Asset Management Inc. NB CA’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Spectrum Asset Management Inc. NB CA’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $4,683,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth $62,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 50.0% in the first quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $503.02 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $471.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $426.18. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $506.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.74 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

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

Microsoft Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSFT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Microsoft from $502.00 to $512.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Microsoft from $475.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Microsoft from $475.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Westpark Capital reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Tigress Financial increased their price objective on Microsoft from $550.00 to $595.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $534.14.

Insider Buying and Selling

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