United Asset Strategies Inc. Has $50.84 Million Stake in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• United Asset Strategies Inc. increased its Microsoft stake by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 2,230 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 105,120 shares valued at about $50.84 million.
• Microsoft reported strong quarterly results, with earnings of $4.27 per share versus the $4.06 estimate and revenue of $82.89 billion, up 18.3% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly constructive on MSFT, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $560.88, though some firms recently trimmed or adjusted their targets and ratings.

United Asset Strategies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 105,120 shares of the software giant's stock after acquiring an additional 2,230 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up 3.9% of United Asset Strategies Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. United Asset Strategies Inc.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $50,838,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MSFT. IRON Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 23.2% in the 3rd quarter. IRON Financial LLC now owns 6,510 shares of the software giant's stock worth $3,372,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225 shares during the period. PMG Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 3rd quarter worth about $828,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 70,175 shares of the software giant's stock worth $36,347,000 after acquiring an additional 1,572 shares in the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 949,901 shares of the software giant's stock worth $493,860,000 after acquiring an additional 9,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 12,492 shares of the software giant's stock worth $6,041,000 after acquiring an additional 1,698 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MSFT. Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $550.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $525.00 price target (up from $450.00) on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. TD Cowen raised shares of Microsoft from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $586.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Tigress Financial raised their price target on shares of Microsoft from $595.00 to $680.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Thirty-nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $560.88.

Microsoft Stock Performance

MSFT opened at $421.92 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $356.28 and a 12-month high of $555.45. The company has a market cap of $3.13 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.11, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.10. The company's 50 day moving average is $398.18 and its 200 day moving average is $440.75.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.46 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Microsoft's payout ratio is currently 21.67%.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other news, Director John W. Stanton purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 83,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at $33,339,651.75. This trade represents a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total transaction of $5,045,695.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at $56,486,322.16. This represents a 8.20% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bill Ackman revealed a new multi-billion-dollar stake in Microsoft (MSFT), saying the company looks attractively valued and highlighting Azure, Microsoft 365, and AI as key growth drivers. Reuters: Ackman's Pershing Square takes stake in Microsoft, citing 'compelling' valuation
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continued to argue that Microsoft’s AI infrastructure, Azure growth, and OpenAI exposure could support further upside, with some seeing the stock’s weaker recent performance as a buying opportunity. TipRanks: Microsoft Buy Rating Reiterated as AI and Cloud Momentum Builds
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft also announced a board addition, appointing former EY chief Carmine Di Sibio to its board of directors, which is a governance update but not an immediate operating catalyst. PR Newswire: Microsoft announces appointment of Carmine Di Sibio to board of directors
• Negative Sentiment: The UK opened an antitrust probe into Microsoft’s business software and cloud practices, creating a potential regulatory overhang for the stock. Reuters: UK opens antitrust probe into Microsoft's business software
• Negative Sentiment: LinkedIn, a Microsoft-owned unit, announced 5% workforce cuts, reinforcing that the company is still trimming costs even as it ramps AI spending. Reuters: LinkedIn to lay off 5% of workforce amid tech industry cuts

Microsoft 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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