Plimoth Trust Co. LLC Boosts Holdings in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Plimoth Trust Co. LLC increased its Microsoft stake by 5.8% in the first quarter, adding 3,009 shares to bring its total to 55,073 shares. Microsoft now makes up about 4.6% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Microsoft’s recent earnings topped expectations, with Q1 EPS of $4.27 versus the $4.06 consensus and revenue of $82.89 billion, up 18.3% year over year. The company also reported strong profitability, with a 39.34% net margin.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on MSFT, with 41 Buy ratings and seven Hold ratings, giving the stock a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating. Microsoft also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share, payable September 10.

Plimoth Trust Co. LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 5.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 55,073 shares of the software giant's stock after acquiring an additional 3,009 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for approximately 4.6% of Plimoth Trust Co. LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $20,386,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MSFT. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 51.3% during the second quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Bernzott Capital Advisors purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Fairway Wealth LLC boosted its position in Microsoft by 287.0% during the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 89 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, University of Illinois Foundation bought a new position in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $50,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank raised shares of Microsoft from an "outperform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Wolfe Research reduced their price target on Microsoft from $570.00 to $525.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Arete Research raised their target price on shares of Microsoft from $730.00 to $870.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Microsoft from $575.00 to $550.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $525.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday. Forty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $557.96.

Microsoft Stock Up 2.8%

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $395.63 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $349.20 and a 52 week high of $555.45. The company has a market capitalization of $2.94 trillion, a P/E ratio of 23.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.13. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $401.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $412.04.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.21. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.34% and a return on equity of 31.94%. The business had revenue of $82.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $81.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.46 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.67%.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is pushing sales teams to sell its AI offerings as a more secure and lower-cost alternative to OpenAI and Anthropic, highlighting its ability to monetize enterprise demand and defend its AI ecosystem. Microsoft Coaches Sales Staff to Challenge OpenAI and Anthropic on Costs and Security
• Positive Sentiment: 3M announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft tied to Azure data centers and enterprise transformation, which adds another validation point for Microsoft’s cloud and AI infrastructure strategy. 3M and Microsoft announce strategic partnership to advance AI data center infrastructure and enterprise transformation
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is overhauling its cybersecurity business to capture more spending from AI-driven threats, which could open a new growth lane as customers increase security budgets. Microsoft (MSFT) Overhauls Cybersecurity Business to Cash In on AI Threats
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft launched a $2.5 billion initiative to help large customers deploy AI systems around their own data and workflows, reinforcing its enterprise AI moat. How Microsoft (MSFT) Is Deepening Its Enterprise AI Moat With a $2.5 Billion Customer Deployment Initiative

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $402.84, for a total transaction of $1,812,780.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 47,468 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,122,009.12. This trade represents a 8.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Amy Coleman sold 1,262 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $411.34, for a total value of $519,111.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,922,874.02. The trade was a 2.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 23,762 shares of company stock worth $10,508,361. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Microsoft Company Profile

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft develops, licenses and supports a broad range of software products, services and devices for consumers, enterprises and governments worldwide. Its operations span personal computing, productivity software, cloud infrastructure, enterprise applications, developer tools and gaming.

Microsoft's product portfolio includes the Windows operating system and the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity and collaboration tools (Office apps, Outlook, Teams).

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