Johnson Bixby & Associates LLC raised its holdings in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,770 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for approximately 0.5% of Johnson Bixby & Associates LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Johnson Bixby & Associates LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $2,305,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Monumental Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the first quarter worth $28,000. Gleason Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 111.7% in the first quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 199 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 157.0% in the first quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 203 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. MayTech Global Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at $83,000. Finally, Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. grew its holdings in Microsoft by 57.5% during the 3rd quarter. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. now owns 411 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.20% of the company’s stock.
Insider Activity at Microsoft
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 transaction 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 $64,941,369.01. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Microsoft news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 26,815 shares of Microsoft 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 198,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $64,941,369.01. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $337.20, for a total transaction of $16,860,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 588,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $198,301,924.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 115,049 shares of company stock valued at $38,195,619 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Price Performance
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 25th. The software giant reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $56.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.49 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 34.15% and a return on equity of 38.70%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.23 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Microsoft Co. will post 10.9 EPS for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 15th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.07%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
MSFT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $385.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, September 22nd. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, October 16th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, September 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $335.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 6th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $378.11.
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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