Trust Co. of Vermont Raises Stock Position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 0.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 226,046 shares of the software giant's stock after acquiring an additional 1,755 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up approximately 4.2% of Trust Co. of Vermont's portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Trust Co. of Vermont's holdings in Microsoft were worth $84,855,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Newton One Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 66.7% in the 1st quarter. Newton One Investments LLC now owns 75 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at $62,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 50.0% in the 1st quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 13,243 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 43,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,481,631. This represents a 23.50% decrease in their position. 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 value of $7,330,880.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 98,010 shares in the company, valued at $44,906,221.80. This trade represents a 14.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 54,743 shares of company stock worth $24,921,913. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MSFT shares. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $585.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Westpark Capital restated a "hold" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $580.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $650.00 price target (up previously from $600.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-one have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $609.86.

Microsoft Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $522.04 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.88 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.35. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $496.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $438.29. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $344.79 and a 1 year high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The software giant reported $3.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.35 by $0.30. The company 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.95 EPS. Analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is 24.34%.

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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