Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Sold by Asset Planning Corporation

Asset Planning Corporation lowered its position in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,256 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 199 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises 1.1% of Asset Planning Corporation’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Asset Planning Corporation’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $1,455,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Biechele Royce Advisors raised its stake in Microsoft by 2.8% during the second quarter. Biechele Royce Advisors now owns 3,792 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,695,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 7.9% during the second quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 59,484 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $26,586,000 after purchasing an additional 4,354 shares during the last quarter. Graypoint LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 2.1% during the second quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 85,899 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $38,393,000 after purchasing an additional 1,803 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.8% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 922,140 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $412,150,000 after purchasing an additional 7,521 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Equita Financial Network Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 42.4% during the second quarter. Equita Financial Network Inc. now owns 1,434 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $641,000 after purchasing an additional 427 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 40,000 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now owns 544,847 shares in the company, valued at $219,349,953.73. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 40,000 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now owns 544,847 shares in the company, valued at $219,349,953.73. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Takeshi Numoto sold 2,500 shares of the 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 owns 50,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,552,000. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 190,629 shares of company stock worth $77,916,485 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $416.32 on Friday. Microsoft Co. has a one year low of $324.39 and a one year high of $468.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $417.92 and a 200-day moving average of $424.63. The company has a market capitalization of $3.09 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.27.

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 return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 35.96%. The company had revenue of $64.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $64.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 13.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Monday, September 16th that authorizes the company to repurchase $60.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the software giant to purchase up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSFT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Microsoft from $500.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Oppenheimer lowered Microsoft from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Microsoft from $470.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Microsoft from $520.00 to $510.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $500.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $493.47.

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.