Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Stock Position Decreased by Pacific Sage Partners LLC

Pacific Sage Partners LLC lessened its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 1.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 193,092 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 2,941 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises 16.3% of Pacific Sage Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its largest position. Pacific Sage Partners LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $72,485,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MSFT. Newton One Investments LLC lifted its position in Microsoft by 66.7% during the first quarter. Newton One Investments LLC now owns 75 shares of the software giant's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. IFS Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth $62,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Down 1.8%

Microsoft stock opened at $524.11 on Monday. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $344.79 and a fifty-two week high of $555.45. 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 $3.90 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.42, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.06. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $489.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $435.01.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The software giant reported $3.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.35 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $76.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $73.79 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.44% and a net margin of 36.15%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 18.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.95 EPS. Equities research analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid 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 0.6%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 13,243 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was 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 directly owned 43,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,481,631. This represents a 23.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Judson Althoff sold 16,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $458.18, for a total value of $7,330,880.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 98,010 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,906,221.80. This represents a 14.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 54,743 shares of company stock valued at $24,921,913 in the last quarter. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on MSFT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Microsoft from $465.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. DA Davidson raised their target price on Microsoft from $600.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays raised their target price on Microsoft from $550.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen raised Microsoft from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Loop Capital raised their target price on Microsoft from $550.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-one have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $609.86.

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.

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