Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Holdings Decreased by Birchcreek Wealth Management LLC

Birchcreek Wealth Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,003 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 142 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises about 2.0% of Birchcreek Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Birchcreek Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $3,577,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vance Wealth Inc. raised its position in Microsoft by 5.7% in the second quarter. Vance Wealth Inc. now owns 3,754 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,678,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Pursue Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 9.0% in the second quarter. Pursue Wealth Partners LLC now owns 30,940 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $13,829,000 after acquiring an additional 2,556 shares in the last quarter. GPM Growth Investors Inc. bought a new stake in Microsoft in the second quarter worth about $20,935,000. PACK Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft in the second quarter worth about $220,000. Finally, New World Advisors LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 0.7% in the second quarter. New World Advisors LLC now owns 7,006 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $3,131,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In related news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $402.59, for a total value of $16,103,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 544,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,349,953.73. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Microsoft news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 17,378 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $411.85, for a total value of $7,157,129.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 150,161 shares in the company, valued at $61,843,807.85. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $402.59, for a total value of $16,103,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 544,847 shares in the company, valued at $219,349,953.73. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 190,629 shares of company stock worth $77,916,485. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Microsoft from $490.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $506.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Citigroup dropped 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. Wedbush reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Microsoft from $465.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $495.68.

Microsoft Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $418.16 on Friday. Microsoft Co. has a 12 month low of $324.39 and a 12 month high of $468.35. The firm has a market cap of $3.11 trillion, a PE ratio of 36.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $419.66 and a 200-day moving average of $424.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $64.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $64.38 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 35.96%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.69 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 13.02 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Monday, September 16th that authorizes the company to repurchase $60.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the software giant to repurchase up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. 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 is presently 28.74%.

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.