Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Stake Raised by Portside Wealth Group LLC

Portside Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 2.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 44,787 shares of the software giant's stock after buying an additional 1,056 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for 2.7% of Portside Wealth Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Portside Wealth Group LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $16,812,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 45,074 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $16,920,000 after buying an additional 1,612 shares in the last quarter. Wiser Wealth Management Inc raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Wiser Wealth Management Inc now owns 3,190 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,197,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its position in Microsoft by 15.5% in the first quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 18,825 shares of the software giant's stock worth $7,067,000 after acquiring an additional 2,531 shares during the period. Selective Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Microsoft by 1.9% during the first quarter. Selective Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,635 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,800,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greystone Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Greystone Financial Group LLC now owns 38,000 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $14,265,000 after purchasing an additional 2,165 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on MSFT shares. Wedbush upped their target price on shares of Microsoft from $515.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Microsoft from $565.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Microsoft from $485.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $534.14.

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MSFT traded up $1.84 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $503.32. 16,454,184 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 21,652,165. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.74 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.04. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $344.79 and a 1 year high of $506.78. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $470.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $425.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

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

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 13,243 shares of the 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 approximately $19,481,631. This trade represents a 23.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 75,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $436.05, for a total value of $32,703,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 476,999 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,995,413.95. The trade was a 13.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 135,743 shares of company stock worth $60,224,683 over the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.