Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is Somerset Trust Co's Largest Position

Somerset Trust Co lifted its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 3.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,991 shares of the software giant's stock after purchasing an additional 1,284 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises about 4.5% of Somerset Trust Co's portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Somerset Trust Co's holdings in Microsoft were worth $12,760,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MSFT. BTC Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Microsoft by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. now owns 109,670 shares of the software giant's stock worth $41,171,000 after buying an additional 4,925 shares during the period. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Microsoft by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 14,209 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $5,334,000 after acquiring an additional 469 shares during the period. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC grew its stake in Microsoft by 14.4% in the 1st quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 2,659 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $998,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares during the period. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC grew its stake in Microsoft by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC now owns 28,840 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $10,826,000 after acquiring an additional 2,021 shares during the period. Finally, Welch Group LLC lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 203,897 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $77,236,000 after purchasing an additional 2,620 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 13,243 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $19,481,631. This trade represents a 23.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $463.00, for a total transaction of $1,389,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,339,590. This trade represents a 6.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 135,743 shares of company stock worth $60,224,683. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Microsoft Price Performance

Microsoft stock opened at $492.27 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $444.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $421.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.66 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $344.79 and a 12 month high of $494.56.

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

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Westpark Capital reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup lifted their target price on Microsoft from $540.00 to $605.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. Wedbush lifted their target price on Microsoft from $515.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on Microsoft from $502.00 to $512.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $519.43.

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.

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