Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Holdings Boosted by Alta Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Alta Capital Management LLC has increased its stake in Microsoft Corporation by 1.1%, now owning 177,814 shares valued at approximately $66.75 million, making Microsoft its 5th largest position.
• Microsoft's recent quarterly earnings showed an EPS of $3.46, exceeding analysts' expectations and reflecting a 13.3% revenue growth year-over-year, with a total revenue of $70.07 billion.
• The company's latest quarterly dividend is set at $0.83 per share, with a scheduled payment date of September 11, representing an annualized yield of 0.65% and a payout ratio of 25.66%.

Alta Capital Management LLC increased its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 1.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 177,814 shares of the software giant's stock after purchasing an additional 1,998 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for 4.3% of Alta Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Alta Capital Management LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $66,750,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Newton One Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 66.7% in the first quarter. Newton One Investments LLC now owns 75 shares of the software giant's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at $62,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 50.0% in the 1st quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the software giant's stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.17, for a total transaction of $2,599,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 471,036 shares in the company, valued at $204,038,664.12. The trade was a 1.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.77, for a total transaction of $9,756,055.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 134,888 shares in the company, valued at $61,208,127.76. This represents a 13.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 135,743 shares of company stock worth $60,224,683 over the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSFT has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $494.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Microsoft from $485.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $525.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $475.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $480.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $555.86.

Microsoft Price Performance

MSFT stock traded up $0.67 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $513.24. The company had a trading volume of 25,399,623 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,947,285. The company has a market capitalization of $3.81 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $486.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $433.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $518.29.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The software giant reported $3.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.35 by $0.30. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.79% and a return on equity of 32.74%. The company's revenue was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.95 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.66%.

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.