Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Sold by LongView Wealth Management

LongView Wealth Management trimmed its stake in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 11,265 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 217 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises 1.9% of LongView Wealth Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. LongView Wealth Management’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $5,035,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Monument Capital Management increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 31,264 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $11,756,000 after acquiring an additional 806 shares in the last quarter. Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV boosted its position in Microsoft by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV now owns 19,980 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $7,513,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. RWA Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 143.5% in the 4th quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 384,058 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $144,421,000 after purchasing an additional 226,357 shares in the last quarter. Garrison Asset Management LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 34.4% in the fourth quarter. Garrison Asset Management LLC now owns 3,711 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,396,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares during the period. Finally, Gimbal Financial acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth about $1,399,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $435.27 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.24 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.69, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.90. Microsoft Co. has a one year low of $309.45 and a one year high of $468.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $420.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $424.03.

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

Microsoft declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Monday, September 16th that authorizes the company to buyback $60.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the software giant to buy up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.97%.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 78,353 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $408.63, for a total transaction of $32,017,386.39. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 864,327 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $353,189,942.01. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CMO Takeshi Numoto sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $411.04, for a total value of $1,027,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 50,000 shares in the company, valued at $20,552,000. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 78,353 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.63, for a total value of $32,017,386.39. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 864,327 shares in the company, valued at $353,189,942.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 190,629 shares of company stock valued at $77,916,485. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSFT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $506.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Microsoft from $480.00 to $510.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group lowered their target price on Microsoft from $520.00 to $510.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on Microsoft from $520.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $494.72.

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.