Delta Asset Management LLC TN Reduces Holdings in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Delta Asset Management LLC TN lessened its holdings in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 442,707 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 7,336 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for approximately 16.7% of Delta Asset Management LLC TN's portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Delta Asset Management LLC TN's holdings in Microsoft were worth $186,601,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MSFT. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Microsoft by 53.8% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the software giant's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Avondale Wealth Management lifted its stake in Microsoft by 144.4% during the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the software giant's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth about $62,000. Finally, Sellwood Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth about $120,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Trading Up 0.2%

NASDAQ:MSFT traded up $0.90 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $463.87. 14,135,414 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 21,449,429. Microsoft Co. has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $468.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.45 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.35, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $411.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $415.62.

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

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.01, for a total transaction of $460,010.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 47,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,647,150.58. This represents a 2.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 75,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $436.05, for a total value of $32,703,750.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 476,999 shares in the company, valued at $207,995,413.95. This trade represents a 13.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 132,743 shares of company stock worth $58,835,683. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on MSFT. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Microsoft from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Microsoft from $475.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-one have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $513.13.

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.