Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Stake Lowered by Corebridge Financial Inc.

Corebridge Financial Inc. reduced its stake in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,107,373 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 38,891 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for approximately 4.8% of Corebridge Financial Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Corebridge Financial Inc.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $888,258,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 53.8% in 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 increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 144.4% in 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 purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth approximately $141,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of MSFT traded up $1.00 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $462.97. 15,728,451 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 21,478,075. The company has a market cap of $3.44 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.99. Microsoft Co. has a 52-week low of $344.79 and a 52-week high of $468.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $411.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $415.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.35.

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

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.01, for a total value of $460,010.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 47,058 shares in the company, valued at $21,647,150.58. This trade represents a 2.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Amy Coleman sold 13,243 shares of the 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 132,743 shares of company stock worth $58,835,683 over the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on MSFT. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $480.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $472.00 to $482.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Microsoft from $475.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on Microsoft from $510.00 to $480.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Four research 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, Microsoft has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.