Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Key Points

• Boston Trust Walden Corp reduced its Microsoft stake by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 53,783 shares. Even after the sale, Microsoft remained its largest holding, valued at about $484 million.
• Microsoft reported strong quarterly results, beating Wall Street estimates with EPS of $4.27 on revenue of $82.89 billion, up 18.3% year over year. Analysts still expect the company to earn 16.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share, payable June 11, implying a 0.9% annualized yield. Meanwhile, analyst sentiment remains constructive, with an average rating of Moderate Buy and a price target of $560.88.

Boston Trust Walden Corp lessened its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,000,740 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 53,783 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for approximately 3.7% of Boston Trust Walden Corp's portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Boston Trust Walden Corp's holdings in Microsoft were worth $483,978,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. IRON Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 23.2% during the third quarter. IRON Financial LLC now owns 6,510 shares of the software giant's stock worth $3,372,000 after buying an additional 1,225 shares during the period. PMG Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the third quarter worth about $828,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 2.3% during the third quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 70,175 shares of the software giant's stock worth $36,347,000 after buying an additional 1,572 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 1.0% during the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 949,901 shares of the software giant's stock worth $493,860,000 after buying an additional 9,700 shares during the period. Finally, Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 12,492 shares of the software giant's stock worth $6,041,000 after buying an additional 1,698 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Trading Up 3.1%

Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $421.92 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $356.28 and a 12-month high of $555.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market cap of $3.13 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50-day moving average of $398.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $441.39.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.21. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.34% and a return on equity of 31.94%. The company had revenue of $82.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $81.44 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.46 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.67%.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bill Ackman revealed a new multi-billion-dollar stake in Microsoft (MSFT), saying the company looks attractively valued and highlighting Azure, Microsoft 365, and AI as key growth drivers. Reuters: Ackman's Pershing Square takes stake in Microsoft, citing 'compelling' valuation
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continued to argue that Microsoft’s AI infrastructure, Azure growth, and OpenAI exposure could support further upside, with some seeing the stock’s weaker recent performance as a buying opportunity. TipRanks: Microsoft Buy Rating Reiterated as AI and Cloud Momentum Builds
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft also announced a board addition, appointing former EY chief Carmine Di Sibio to its board of directors, which is a governance update but not an immediate operating catalyst. PR Newswire: Microsoft announces appointment of Carmine Di Sibio to board of directors
• Negative Sentiment: The UK opened an antitrust probe into Microsoft’s business software and cloud practices, creating a potential regulatory overhang for the stock. Reuters: UK opens antitrust probe into Microsoft's business software
• Negative Sentiment: LinkedIn, a Microsoft-owned unit, announced 5% workforce cuts, reinforcing that the company is still trimming costs even as it ramps AI spending. Reuters: LinkedIn to lay off 5% of workforce amid tech industry cuts

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In related news, Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 83,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. This represents a 6.34% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total transaction of $5,045,695.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $56,486,322.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MSFT. HSBC decreased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $593.00 to $571.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $575.00 to $505.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. New Street Research cut their price target on shares of Microsoft from $675.00 to $600.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Microsoft from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Thirty-nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $560.88.

About Microsoft

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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