North Growth Management Ltd. trimmed its holdings in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 13.8% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 25,000 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 4,000 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for approximately 1.8% of North Growth Management Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. North Growth Management Ltd.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $8,536,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Microsoft by 112,158.6% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 150,187,424 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $36,017,948,000 after purchasing an additional 150,053,637 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at about $20,700,525,000. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Microsoft by 35,465.9% during the first quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 20,611,140 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $66,852,000 after acquiring an additional 20,553,188 shares during the period. Providence Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Microsoft by 29,789.2% during the first quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 16,570,893 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $57,477,000 after acquiring an additional 16,515,452 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Microsoft by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 119,417,954 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $28,638,815,000 after acquiring an additional 14,652,150 shares during the period. 69.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Microsoft Stock Performance
Shares of MSFT stock opened at $331.32 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.46 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The business has a fifty day moving average of $325.39 and a 200 day moving average of $322.63. Microsoft Co. has a 1 year low of $213.43 and a 1 year high of $366.78.
Microsoft Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 15th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.07%.
Insider Activity
In other news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 38,234 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.43, for a total transaction of $12,557,192.62. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 800,668 shares in the company, valued at approximately $262,963,391.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 26,815 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 198,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $64,941,369.01. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 38,234 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.43, for a total transaction of $12,557,192.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 800,668 shares in the company, valued at $262,963,391.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 115,049 shares of company stock worth $38,195,619 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $410.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, July 28th. HSBC began coverage on Microsoft in a report on Friday, September 15th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $347.00 target price on the stock. Redburn Partners reduced their target price on Microsoft from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 11th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Microsoft from $320.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 20th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Microsoft from $336.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $378.11.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Microsoft
About Microsoft
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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