Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Sold by Avanza Fonder AB

Avanza Fonder AB lessened its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 10.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 463,434 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 52,728 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises about 5.9% of Avanza Fonder AB's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Avanza Fonder AB's holdings in Microsoft were worth $177,097,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MSFT. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 11.4% during the first quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services now owns 34,507 shares of the software giant's stock worth $12,954,000 after buying an additional 3,542 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in Microsoft by 18.8% in the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 8,911 shares of the software giant's stock worth $3,345,000 after purchasing an additional 1,412 shares in the last quarter. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. raised its stake in Microsoft by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 13,999 shares of the software giant's stock worth $5,255,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Crescent Sterling Ltd. raised its stake in Microsoft by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Crescent Sterling Ltd. now owns 11,854 shares of the software giant's stock worth $4,450,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MADDEN SECURITIES Corp raised its stake in Microsoft by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. MADDEN SECURITIES Corp now owns 10,381 shares of the software giant's stock worth $3,897,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSFT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Microsoft from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $600.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Microsoft from $475.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Microsoft from $480.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $525.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Microsoft from $565.00 to $585.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $534.14.

Microsoft Price Performance

Microsoft stock opened at $503.32 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $470.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $425.85. The company has a market capitalization of $3.74 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.04. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $344.79 and a 12 month high of $506.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The software giant reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.24. The business 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.94 EPS. Analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. Microsoft's payout ratio is currently 25.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 75,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 476,999 shares in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.77, for a total value of $9,756,055.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 134,888 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,208,127.76. This trade represents a 13.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 135,743 shares of company stock worth $60,224,683 over the last 90 days. Company 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.

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