Cynosure Group LLC Sells 2,590 Shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Cynosure Group LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 20.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,971 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 2,590 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up about 0.6% of Cynosure Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Cynosure Group LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $4,203,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cinctive Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,965,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Creekmur Asset Management LLC now owns 7,343 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $3,095,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Perritt Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Perritt Capital Management Inc now owns 577 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. DKM Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at $545,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,190,775 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $501,913,000 after acquiring an additional 18,426 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on MSFT. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $480.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Microsoft from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $513.89.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 13,243 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.01, for a total transaction of $5,985,968.43. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 43,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,481,631. The trade was a 23.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.01, for a total transaction of $460,010.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 47,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,647,150.58. The trade was a 2.08% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 135,743 shares of company stock worth $60,224,683 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of MSFT stock traded up $1.70 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $472.62. 16,371,327 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 21,517,831. The company has a market capitalization of $3.51 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.05, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.03. Microsoft Co. has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $476.16. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $420.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $417.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The software giant reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.24. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.43% and a return on equity of 33.36%. The company had revenue of $70.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.94 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Microsoft's payout ratio is 25.66%.

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.