New England Professional Planning Group Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 21.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 702 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 190 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up approximately 0.1% of New England Professional Planning Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. New England Professional Planning Group Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $239,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.0% during the third 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 period. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.7% during 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 buying an additional 1,951,554 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.8% during the first quarter. FMR LLC now owns 200,523,373 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $57,810,889,000 after buying an additional 1,537,712 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% during the second quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 195,859,819 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $50,302,677,000 after buying an additional 556,020 shares during the period. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 112,158.6% during the fourth 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 buying an additional 150,053,637 shares during the period. 69.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Microsoft Stock Performance
Shares of MSFT stock opened at $327.73 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $324.89 and a 200 day moving average of $321.87. Microsoft Co. has a 52 week low of $213.43 and a 52 week high of $366.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.43 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.82, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.
Microsoft Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 16th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 15th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.96%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MSFT shares. Redburn Partners decreased their price target on Microsoft from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 11th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, July 26th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $336.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $320.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $420.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, September 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $376.34.
Read Our Latest Report on Microsoft
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 1st. The stock was 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 owns 588,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $198,301,924.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Microsoft news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 38,234 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.43, for a total value of $12,557,192.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 800,668 shares in the company, valued at $262,963,391.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $337.20, for a total value of $16,860,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now 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. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
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.
Read More
- Five stocks we like better than Microsoft
- What is Short Interest? How to Use It
- MarketBeat Week in Review – 10/9 – 10/13
- How to Invest in Casino Stocks
- What BlackRock’s Earnings Tell You About The Stock Market Tide
- What Are Meme Stocks and Are They Viable Investments?
- Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile Well Positioned Lithium Stock
Receive News & Ratings for Microsoft Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Microsoft and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
