Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Sold by JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd

JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd trimmed its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 72.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 69,467 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 186,786 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up approximately 2.1% of JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd's holdings in Microsoft were worth $26,037,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth $62,000. Finally, Sellwood Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth about $120,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $495.94 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $3.69 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.33, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.03. The company's 50-day moving average price is $449.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $422.12. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $344.79 and a 52 week high of $499.30.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The software giant reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.24. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.79% and a return on equity of 32.74%. The company had revenue of $70.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $68.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.94 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,339,590. This represents a 6.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 134,888 shares in the company, valued at $61,208,127.76. This represents a 13.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 135,743 shares of company stock valued at $60,224,683. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSFT has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $530.00 target price (up previously from $482.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Evercore ISI set a $515.00 target price on shares of Microsoft and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $475.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $521.14.

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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