Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Stock Holdings Lowered by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System reduced its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 401,965 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 25,685 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for about 3.7% of Maryland State Retirement & Pension System's holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System's holdings in Microsoft were worth $169,428,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Enhancing Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth about $10,553,000. Xponance Inc. increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 1,809,058 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $762,518,000 after acquiring an additional 43,454 shares during the period. Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. now owns 3,137 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,322,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth approximately $265,917,000. Finally, Evoke Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 107,674 shares of the software giant's stock worth $45,385,000 after purchasing an additional 1,905 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 13,243 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were 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 now owns 43,100 shares in the company, valued at $19,481,631. This represents a 23.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 134,888 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,208,127.76. The trade was a 13.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 131,743 shares of company stock worth $58,375,673 over the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Microsoft Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of Microsoft stock traded down $2.19 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $458.50. 7,927,875 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 21,532,320. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Microsoft Co. has a 1-year low of $344.79 and a 1-year high of $468.35. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $405.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $414.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.41 trillion, a PE ratio of 36.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.99.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The software giant reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.94 EPS. Microsoft's quarterly revenue was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MSFT. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $480.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $480.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $480.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-one have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $513.13.

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.