Claris Financial LLC Invests $6.81 Million in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Claris Financial LLC bought a new Microsoft stake in the fourth quarter, purchasing 14,079 shares worth about $6.81 million. Microsoft now makes up 3.6% of the firm’s portfolio and is its sixth-largest position.
• Microsoft continues to attract broad institutional interest, with several other investors adding positions and 71.13% of shares now held by institutional investors. At the same time, insider selling has been active, including sales by CEO Judson Althoff and EVP Amy Coleman.
• The company recently posted strong quarterly results, beating earnings and revenue expectations, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share. Despite solid fundamentals and a generally positive analyst outlook, Microsoft’s stock was down from its recent highs and has faced some investor concerns around AI spending and monetization.

Claris Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 14,079 shares of the software giant's stock, valued at approximately $6,809,000. Microsoft comprises 3.6% of Claris Financial LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TMB Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth $5,750,000. Briggs Wealth Management Inc bought a new stake in Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at $795,000. ATX Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth $1,475,000. Michels Family Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 19.2% during the fourth quarter. Michels Family Financial LLC now owns 2,918 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,411,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the period. Finally, Evansbrook LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth about $2,894,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 15,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.99, for a total value of $7,145,345.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 110,477 shares in the company, valued at $50,928,792.23. This trade represents a 12.30% 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 Amy Coleman sold 1,262 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $411.34, for a total transaction of $519,111.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,922,874.02. This represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 23,762 shares of company stock valued at $10,508,361. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Up 0.1%

Microsoft stock opened at $379.40 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $412.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $425.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.82 trillion, a P/E ratio of 22.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.28. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $356.28 and a one year high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $82.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $81.44 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.34% and a return on equity of 31.94%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.46 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.67%.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is reportedly building a more than $1 billion annual AI and cloud business with ByteDance in China, underscoring strong demand for its Azure and OpenAI-related services. Microsoft Scores Massive China AI Win as TikTok Parent Eyes $1 Billion Spend
• Positive Sentiment: OpenAI’s push to monetize ChatGPT with ads highlights continued AI commercialization, which may support sentiment around Microsoft’s OpenAI stake and AI strategy. OpenAI Brings ChatGPT Ads to Japan
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft is said to be moving Copilot to usage-based pricing and exploring cheaper AI models, a sign it is trying to improve margins as AI infrastructure costs rise. Microsoft (MSFT) Moves Copilot To Usage Based Pricing As AI Costs Rise
• Negative Sentiment: Several reports say investors are increasingly worried about Microsoft’s AI valuation, spending, and monetization, which is weighing on the stock. Microsoft Faces AI Expectations Test
• Negative Sentiment: Microsoft is also facing securities class-action lawsuits and investigations over alleged misleading AI-related statements, adding legal uncertainty. Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman LLC Urges Microsoft Corporation Investors to Act: Class Action Filed Alleging Investor Harm
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Microsoft walked away from a potential $3 billion Oracle cloud deal suggest possible friction in securing additional cloud capacity. Why Microsoft Stock Slumped Today

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on MSFT. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $525.00 price target (up from $450.00) on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $586.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Microsoft from $650.00 to $550.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Microsoft from $575.00 to $505.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, DZ Bank reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Forty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $561.20.

Microsoft Profile

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft develops, licenses and supports a broad range of software products, services and devices for consumers, enterprises and governments worldwide. Its operations span personal computing, productivity software, cloud infrastructure, enterprise applications, developer tools and gaming.

Microsoft's product portfolio includes the Windows operating system and the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity and collaboration tools (Office apps, Outlook, Teams).

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