Advocate Group LLC Boosts Stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Advocate Group LLC lifted its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,519 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for about 1.7% of Advocate Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Advocate Group LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $9,580,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MSFT. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Newton One Investments LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 66.7% in the first quarter. Newton One Investments LLC now owns 75 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

Microsoft stock opened at $513.71 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $483.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $431.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.82 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 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 Corporation has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $518.29.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The software giant reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.54 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.94 EPS. Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on MSFT shares. Bank of America upped their price target on Microsoft from $515.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $530.00 price target (up previously from $482.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Microsoft from $480.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Barclays upped their price target on Microsoft from $494.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Microsoft from $465.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $551.21.

Insider Activity

In other Microsoft news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,500 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 134,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,208,127.76. The trade was a 13.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 3,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on 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 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. Insiders sold 135,743 shares of company stock worth $60,224,683 in the last three months. Corporate 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.