Graphene Investments SAS lessened its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 21.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 33,900 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 9,000 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up 7.6% of Graphene Investments SAS’s holdings, making the stock its biggest holding. Graphene Investments SAS’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $11,544,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MSFT. Good Life Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.6% in the second quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 54,021 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $18,396,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. Carr Financial Group Corp grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 4.0% in the second quarter. Carr Financial Group Corp now owns 10,761 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $3,665,000 after purchasing an additional 417 shares during the last quarter. Planning Center Inc. grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 24.4% in the second quarter. Planning Center Inc. now owns 4,849 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,651,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares during the last quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 6.6% in the first quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 1,518,749 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $437,855,000 after purchasing an additional 94,563 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sweet Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 7.8% in the second quarter. Sweet Financial Partners LLC now owns 13,301 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $4,529,000 after purchasing an additional 961 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.20% of the company’s stock.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 50,000 shares of the firm’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 value of $16,860,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 588,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $198,301,924.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Microsoft news, 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 588,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $198,301,924.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 26,815 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 198,373 shares in the company, valued at $64,941,369.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 115,049 shares of company stock valued at $38,195,619. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Stock Up 0.6 %
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 24th. The software giant reported $2.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.34. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.31% and a return on equity of 38.79%. The firm had revenue of $56.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $54.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.35 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 11.02 EPS 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 issued a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 15th. 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%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.33%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $320.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $385.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, September 22nd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $430.00 to $432.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Four 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, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $384.34.
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.
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