Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC Has $20.27 Million Position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Key Points

• Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC decreased its holdings in Microsoft by 2.2%, now owning 54,003 shares valued at $20.27 million, making Microsoft 2.0% of their portfolio.
• Multiple analysts increased their price targets for Microsoft, with a consensus target of $609.86 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy," reflecting positive sentiment in the market.
• Microsoft recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.83, scheduled for payment on September 11th, representing an annualized yield of 0.6%.

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC decreased its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 2.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 54,003 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 1,234 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for 2.0% of Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $20,272,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fosun International Ltd boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 0.3% in the first quarter. Fosun International Ltd now owns 6,633 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $2,490,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Financial Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Financial Solutions LLC now owns 1,050 shares of the software giant's stock worth $443,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel increased its holdings in Microsoft by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel now owns 3,286 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,385,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Alliance Wealth Management Group raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Alliance Wealth Management Group now owns 5,617 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $2,368,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Guidance Point Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Guidance Point Advisors LLC now owns 4,294 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,811,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT traded up $1.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $522.04. The company had a trading volume of 15,514,819 shares, compared to its average volume of 19,782,852. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35. The company has a market capitalization of $3.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.27, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.06. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $496.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $438.17. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $555.45.

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

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Microsoft's payout ratio is 24.34%.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $463.00, for a total value of $1,389,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 43,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,339,590. This represents a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Amy Coleman sold 13,243 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.01, for a total transaction of $5,985,968.43. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. 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. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Microsoft from $550.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays lifted their target price on Microsoft from $550.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen raised Microsoft from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Wedbush upped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-one have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $609.86.

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.