Wealth Advisors of Iowa LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,217 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises about 1.3% of Wealth Advisors of Iowa LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Wealth Advisors of Iowa LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $1,777,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 112,158.6% in 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 acquiring an additional 150,053,637 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Microsoft in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $20,700,525,000. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 35,465.9% in 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 last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 29,789.2% in 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 last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in Microsoft by 14.0% in 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 last quarter. 69.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 50,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 588,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $198,301,924.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Microsoft news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 50,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 588,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $198,301,924.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 26,815 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $64,941,369.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 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 Performance
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 24th. The software giant reported $2.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $56.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $54.52 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.31% and a return on equity of 38.79%. Microsoft’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.35 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Microsoft Co. will post 11.07 earnings per share for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 15th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is presently 26.33%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Tuesday, October 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $425.00 price objective on the stock. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $340.00 to $400.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $320.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 20th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $340.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 19th. Finally, Argus increased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $371.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $384.34.
Get Our Latest Research Report on MSFT
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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