Diligent Investors LLC lowered its position in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 0.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 58,519 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 105 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for about 5.9% of Diligent Investors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its biggest position. Diligent Investors LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $19,928,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MSFT. Monumental Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Gleason Group Inc. increased its stake in Microsoft by 111.7% during the 1st quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 199 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co increased its stake in Microsoft by 157.0% during the 1st quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 203 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. MayTech Global Investments LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at about $83,000. Finally, Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. increased its stake 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.
Microsoft Stock Performance
Microsoft stock opened at $330.53 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $325.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $323.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.77. The stock has a market cap of $2.46 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.91. Microsoft Co. has a fifty-two week low of $213.43 and a fifty-two week high of $366.78.
Microsoft Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 16th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 15th. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is 28.07%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MSFT shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Microsoft from $320.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 20th. Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, October 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $425.00 price objective on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $398.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 20th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 16th. Finally, Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $320.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $378.11.
Read Our Latest Report on MSFT
Insider Transactions at Microsoft
In other news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 26,815 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 198,373 shares in the company, valued at $64,941,369.01. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 $198,301,924.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 26,815 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.37, for a total transaction of $8,778,426.55. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 198,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $64,941,369.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 115,049 shares of company stock worth $38,195,619. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft 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.
Featured Stories
- Five stocks we like better than Microsoft
- How to Know if a Stock Pays Dividends and When They Are Paid Out
- Election Stocks: How Elections Affect the Stock Market
- EV Stocks and How to Profit from Them
- Looking Into Renewable Energy Trends? Your Best Bets
- What is a Stock Market Index and How Do You Use Them?
- Over Sold and Left for Dead, High Yield Verizon Raises Guidance
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
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.
