Greystone Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 17.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 55,712 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,278 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises 4.0% of Greystone Financial Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Greystone Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $16,062,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 211.6% in the 1st quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 43,255 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $12,470,000 after buying an additional 29,375 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Microsoft by 49.3% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 173,294 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $49,961,000 after purchasing an additional 57,218 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC boosted its position in Microsoft by 10.9% during the first quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 282,524 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $81,452,000 after purchasing an additional 27,678 shares during the period. Delta Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Microsoft by 0.3% during the first quarter. Delta Financial Group Inc. now owns 49,360 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $14,230,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, Zullo Investment Group Inc. boosted its position in Microsoft by 6.9% during the first quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. now owns 32,801 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $9,457,000 after purchasing an additional 2,122 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.20% of the company’s stock.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Microsoft news, EVP Judson Althoff sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.09, for a total transaction of $9,182,700.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 117,456 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,952,107.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Microsoft news, EVP Judson Althoff sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.09, for a total transaction of $9,182,700.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 117,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,952,107.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CMO Christopher C. Capossela sold 5,081 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.54, for a total transaction of $1,588,015.74. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 94,328 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,481,273.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 51,331 shares of company stock valued at $15,867,278. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Price Performance
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 25th. The software giant reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.14. Microsoft had a net margin of 34.15% and a return on equity of 38.70%. The firm had revenue of $56.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.23 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Microsoft Co. will post 10.8 EPS for the current year.
Microsoft Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 16th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is currently 28.07%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MSFT shares. Moffett Nathanson upped their target price on Microsoft from $263.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Fundamental Research cut Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Microsoft from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Microsoft from $340.00 to $380.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 30th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities increased their price objective on Microsoft from $310.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and thirty have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $368.37.
Microsoft Profile
Microsoft Corporation develops, licenses, and supports software, services, devices, and solutions worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Productivity and Business Processes, Intelligent Cloud, and More Personal Computing. The Productivity and Business Processes segment offers Office, Exchange, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Office 365 Security and Compliance, Microsoft Viva, and Skype for Business; Skype, Outlook.com, OneDrive, and LinkedIn; and Dynamics 365, a set of cloud-based and on-premises business solutions for organizations and enterprise divisions.
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