Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Holdings Boosted by Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Microsoft Corporation by 0.3%, owning approximately $446.76 million worth of shares, which represent 1.5% of its total holdings.
• Several hedge funds, including Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC and Mcdaniel Terry & Co., have also adjusted their positions in Microsoft, indicating ongoing institutional interest in the stock.
• Microsoft recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share, with a payout ratio of 24.34%, reflecting a dividend yield of 0.6%.

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 0.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,190,110 shares of the software giant's stock after purchasing an additional 3,353 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up about 1.5% of Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $446,756,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Newton One Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 66.7% in the 1st quarter. Newton One Investments LLC now owns 75 shares of the software giant's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 50.0% in the 1st quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $62,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on MSFT. Scotiabank raised their target price on Microsoft from $500.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $650.00 target price (up previously from $600.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Microsoft from $530.00 to $582.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on Microsoft from $581.00 to $639.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Loop Capital raised their target price on Microsoft from $550.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $609.86.

Microsoft Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of Microsoft stock traded down $9.39 on Friday, reaching $524.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 28,948,527 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,331,950. The company has a market capitalization of $3.90 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.06. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $489.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $434.88. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $344.79 and a 52 week high of $555.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The software giant reported $3.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.35 by $0.30. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.44% and a net margin of 36.15%. The company had revenue of $76.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $73.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.95 earnings per share. Microsoft's revenue was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities 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. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st will be issued a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Microsoft's payout ratio is presently 24.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 13,243 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.01, for a total value of $5,985,968.43. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 43,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,481,631. The trade was a 23.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,500 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.77, for a total value of $9,756,055.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 134,888 shares in the company, valued at $61,208,127.76. This trade represents a 13.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 60,743 shares of company stock valued at $27,520,933 over the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.