Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Acquired by Guardian Capital LP

Guardian Capital LP boosted its holdings in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 0.1% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 134,085 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for 2.0% of Guardian Capital LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Guardian Capital LP’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $56,412,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC now owns 56,589 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $21,280,000 after buying an additional 1,602 shares during the last quarter. Brand Asset Management Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 23.9% in the fourth quarter. Brand Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 3,248 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,221,000 after acquiring an additional 627 shares during the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 144,577 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $54,367,000 after acquiring an additional 6,178 shares in the last quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 1,963 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $738,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cobblestone Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth about $203,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Microsoft Trading Down 0.6 %

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $418.47 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $436.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $422.26. The stock has a market cap of $3.11 trillion, a P/E ratio of 36.23, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.90. Microsoft Co. has a 52 week low of $309.45 and a 52 week high of $468.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The software giant reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $64.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $64.38 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.96% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The firm’s revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.69 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Microsoft from $450.00 to $480.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $475.00 to $526.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $440.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $500.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $550.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $494.72.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Judson Althoff sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $425.68, for a total transaction of $10,642,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CMO Takeshi Numoto sold 322 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $416.60, for a total value of $134,145.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 47,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,686,433. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Judson Althoff sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 104,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,674,690.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 25,566 shares of company stock worth $10,877,535 in the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.