Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Stock Holdings Decreased by Optas LLC

Optas LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 3.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,738 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,142 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for approximately 1.9% of Optas LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Optas LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $11,163,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MSFT. Adamsbrown Wealth Consultants LLC lifted its stake in Microsoft by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Adamsbrown Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 5,967 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $2,515,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Mcdaniel Terry & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Mcdaniel Terry & Co. now owns 315,594 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $133,023,000 after buying an additional 18,052 shares during the period. 1900 Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. 1900 Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,140 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $4,274,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Services Inc. now owns 17,426 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $7,345,000 after purchasing an additional 1,268 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elevate Wealth Advisory Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 147.9% during the 4th quarter. Elevate Wealth Advisory Inc. now owns 1,748 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $737,000 after purchasing an additional 1,043 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of MSFT opened at $510.05 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $344.79 and a 12 month high of $514.64. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $477.78 and its 200-day moving average is $428.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.79 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 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 released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The software giant reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.54 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.94 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 25.66%.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 13,243 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.01, for a total transaction of $5,985,968.43. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,481,631. This represents a 23.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.77, for a total transaction of $9,756,055.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 134,888 shares in the company, valued at $61,208,127.76. This represents a 13.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 135,743 shares of company stock worth $60,224,683 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MSFT shares. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 30th. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. UBS Group reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Finally, Westpark Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $541.79.

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.