DLK Investment Management LLC Has $13.32 Million Stake in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

DLK Investment Management LLC trimmed its stake in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.7% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 31,671 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 558 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 5.7% of DLK Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. DLK Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $13,324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MSFT. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Microsoft by 26.1% in the 3rd quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC now owns 188,360 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $59,475,000 after buying an additional 39,034 shares during the last quarter. Archvest Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Archvest Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 3,269 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,032,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 3rd quarter valued at $237,000. AFT Forsyth & Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. AFT Forsyth & Company Inc. now owns 19,561 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $6,177,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ibex Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in Microsoft in the 3rd quarter worth $21,906,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $456.73 on Tuesday. Microsoft Co. has a 12-month low of $309.45 and a 12-month high of $457.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.39 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.54, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.89. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $424.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $410.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The software giant reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $61.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.86 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 36.43% and a return on equity of 37.54%. Microsoft’s revenue was up 17.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.45 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 11.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 25.97%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Judson Althoff sold 25,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $425.68, for a total value of $10,642,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 104,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,674,690.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, CMO Takeshi Numoto sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.53, for a total value of $101,389.32. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 47,011 shares in the company, valued at $19,534,480.83. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Judson Althoff sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.68, for a total transaction of $10,642,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 104,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,674,690.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 25,566 shares of company stock valued at $10,877,535 over the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on MSFT shares. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $465.00 price target (up from $455.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, April 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Microsoft from $450.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $500.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Microsoft from $465.00 to $489.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, New Street Research began coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, June 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $570.00 target price on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $467.12.

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.