Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Stock Position Trimmed by ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC

ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC lessened its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 1.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 81,773 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 785 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for about 4.3% of ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $30,697,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 50.0% during the 1st quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the software giant's stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $62,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $497.72 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $463.54 and a 200-day moving average of $423.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The company has a market capitalization of $3.70 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.04. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $344.79 and a 1-year high of $500.76.

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

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.66%.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 13,243 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 43,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,481,631. This trade represents a 23.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Judson Althoff sold 16,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $458.18, for a total transaction of $7,330,880.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 98,010 shares in the company, valued at $44,906,221.80. The trade was a 14.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 135,743 shares of company stock valued at $60,224,683. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on MSFT. Evercore ISI set a $515.00 price target on Microsoft and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Microsoft from $480.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. UBS Group reaffirmed a "positive" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Microsoft from $510.00 to $480.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $524.71.

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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