Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Holdings Boosted by Channel Wealth LLC

Channel Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 5.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,463 shares of the software giant's stock after buying an additional 1,300 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up 3.2% of Channel Wealth LLC's holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Channel Wealth LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $10,309,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MSFT. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. IFS Advisors LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 50.0% in the 1st quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth $62,000. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ MSFT traded up $7.16 on Friday, hitting $498.25. 13,984,829 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 21,692,275. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.70 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.50, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.04. The business's fifty day moving average is $459.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $423.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.37. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $344.79 and a 12 month high of $500.76.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The software giant reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $70.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.54 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.74% and a net margin of 35.79%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.94 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.66%.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 13,243 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 43,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,481,631. This trade represents a 23.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $463.00, for a total transaction of $1,389,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 43,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,339,590. This trade represents a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 135,743 shares of company stock valued at $60,224,683. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MSFT shares. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Microsoft from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Microsoft from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. UBS Group reaffirmed a "positive" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wedbush boosted their price target on Microsoft from $515.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $524.71.

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.