Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Position Reduced by Kentucky Trust Co

Key Points

• Kentucky Trust Co has reduced its holdings in Microsoft by 3.8% but remains its largest position, owning 18,499 shares valued at $6,944,000.
• Microsoft's latest quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $3.46, exceeding analysts' estimates, with revenue reaching $70.07 billion for the quarter.
• Several analysts have recently raised their target prices for Microsoft shares, with an average price target of $551.21 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Kentucky Trust Co cut its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 3.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,499 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 725 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up approximately 4.1% of Kentucky Trust Co's investment portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Kentucky Trust Co's holdings in Microsoft were worth $6,944,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Newton One Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 66.7% during the 1st quarter. Newton One Investments LLC now owns 75 shares of the software giant's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. IFS Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 50.0% during the first quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the software giant's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the fourth quarter valued at about $62,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Trading Up 0.1%

MSFT stock traded up $0.67 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $513.24. The stock had a trading volume of 25,399,623 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,947,285. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $486.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $433.33. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $344.79 and a 1-year high of $518.29. The firm has a market cap of $3.81 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.04.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The software giant reported $3.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.35 by $0.30. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.79% and a return on equity of 32.74%. The business's revenue was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.95 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.65%. Microsoft's payout ratio is 25.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer raised Microsoft from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $600.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Evercore ISI reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $545.00 price objective (up from $515.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Microsoft from $480.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $555.86.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 75,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $436.05, for a total transaction of $32,703,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 476,999 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $207,995,413.95. This trade represents a 13.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 43,930 shares in the company, valued at $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. Insiders have sold 135,743 shares of company stock worth $60,224,683 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

About Microsoft

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.