Unison Asset Management LLC Sells 5,199 Shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Key Points

• Unison Asset Management LLC reduced its Microsoft stock position by 24.1% in Q1, now holding 16,364 shares worth approximately $5.92 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Vanguard and Geode Capital, have increased their holdings in Microsoft during the 4th quarter, contributing to 71.13% institutional ownership of the company.
• Microsoft's recent earnings report revealed a net margin of 36.15% and an earnings per share (EPS) of $3.65, exceeding analysts' estimates of $3.35.

Unison Asset Management LLC reduced its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 24.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 16,364 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 5,199 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for approximately 3.4% of Unison Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Unison Asset Management LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $5,921,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MSFT. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Newton One Investments LLC lifted its position in Microsoft by 66.7% during the first quarter. Newton One Investments LLC now owns 75 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the fourth quarter valued at about $62,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 50.0% in the 1st quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the software giant's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

NASDAQ MSFT traded up $0.19 on Thursday, reaching $525.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,338,413 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,295,482. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $344.79 and a 52 week high of $555.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The firm has a market cap of $3.90 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $494.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $437.01.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The software giant reported $3.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.35 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $76.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $73.79 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 36.15% and a return on equity of 32.44%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.95 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is presently 24.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MSFT shares. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $650.00 price target (up from $600.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays lifted their price target on Microsoft from $550.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Microsoft from $600.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Microsoft from $480.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Microsoft from $600.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-one have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $609.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $463.00, for a total value of $1,389,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,339,590. This trade represents a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.77, for a total transaction of $9,756,055.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 134,888 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,208,127.76. This represents a 13.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 54,743 shares of company stock worth $24,921,913. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

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.