Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Stock Holdings Boosted by Jag Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Jag Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 17.1% during the first quarter, making Microsoft its 5th largest position with a value of approximately $40.5 million.
• Multiple analysts have raised their target prices for Microsoft, with UBS Group and Wells Fargo both setting target prices of $650.00, reflecting strong investor confidence.
• Microsoft reported a quarterly EPS of $3.65, exceeding expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.83 to be paid on September 11th, demonstrating solid financial performance.

Jag Capital Management LLC grew its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 17.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 107,986 shares of the software giant's stock after acquiring an additional 15,765 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises 5.4% of Jag Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 5th largest position. Jag Capital Management LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $40,537,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MSFT. WFA Asset Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 27.0% in the first quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 1,016 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 12,658 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $5,658,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 410.4% in the 3rd quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 2,659 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,144,000 after buying an additional 2,138 shares during the period. Wealth Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 2,374 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,000,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tallon Kerry Patrick purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,375,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT traded up $1.20 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $522.04. 15,514,819 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 19,782,852. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $496.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $438.17. The company has a market cap of $3.88 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.06. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $344.79 and a twelve month high of $555.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.35.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The software giant reported $3.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.35 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $76.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $73.79 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 36.15% and a return on equity of 32.44%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 18.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.95 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup increased their price target on Microsoft from $605.00 to $613.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $581.00 to $639.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $530.00 to $582.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-one have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $609.86.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 134,888 shares in the company, valued at $61,208,127.76. This trade represents a 13.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Judson Althoff sold 16,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $458.18, for a total value of $7,330,880.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 98,010 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,906,221.80. This trade represents a 14.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 54,743 shares of company stock worth $24,921,913. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

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.