Saiph Capital LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Saiph Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 17.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,262 shares of the software giant's stock after buying an additional 623 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 0.6% of Saiph Capital LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Saiph Capital LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $1,796,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 53.8% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the software giant's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Avondale Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 144.4% in the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the software giant's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth $62,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth $141,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Microsoft stock traded up $1.32 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $458.68. The stock had a trading volume of 13,971,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,584,780. Microsoft Co. has a 12 month low of $344.79 and a 12 month high of $468.35. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $407.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $414.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.41 trillion, a PE ratio of 36.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The software giant reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.24. Microsoft had a return on equity of 33.36% and a net margin of 35.43%. The business had revenue of $70.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $68.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.94 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSFT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Westpark Capital reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Microsoft from $475.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Evercore ISI set a $515.00 target price on Microsoft and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Microsoft from $472.00 to $482.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-one have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $513.13.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In related news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.17, for a total value of $2,599,020.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 471,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $204,038,664.12. The trade was a 1.26% decrease in their position. The sale 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 business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were 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 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 three months, insiders have sold 131,743 shares of company stock worth $58,375,673. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

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.