CHICAGO TRUST Co NA cut its holdings in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 0.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 66,990 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 154 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 5.5% of CHICAGO TRUST Co NA’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $22,813,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Microsoft by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 634,238,715 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $147,714,197,000 after buying an additional 6,129,708 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 295,509,547 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $68,824,173,000 after purchasing an additional 1,951,554 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.8% in the first quarter. FMR LLC now owns 200,523,373 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $57,810,889,000 after purchasing an additional 1,537,712 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 195,859,819 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $50,302,677,000 after purchasing an additional 556,020 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 112,158.6% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 150,187,424 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $36,017,948,000 after purchasing an additional 150,053,637 shares during the period. 69.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Insider Transactions at Microsoft
In other news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 26,815 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.37, for a total value of $8,778,426.55. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 198,373 shares in the company, valued at $64,941,369.01. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Microsoft news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 26,815 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.37, for a total value of $8,778,426.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 198,373 shares in the company, valued at $64,941,369.01. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $337.20, for a total value of $16,860,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 588,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $198,301,924.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 115,049 shares of company stock valued at $38,195,619 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Trading Up 1.2 %
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 25th. The software giant reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $56.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.49 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 34.15% and a return on equity of 38.70%. Microsoft’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.23 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Microsoft Co. will post 10.9 earnings per share for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 16th will be given a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 15th. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is currently 28.07%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $385.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Microsoft from $335.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 6th. Argus raised their price target on shares of Microsoft from $371.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 21st. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $420.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday, September 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $376.34.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Microsoft
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.
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