Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Holdings Boosted by UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp increased its position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 160,123 shares of the software giant's stock after buying an additional 7,374 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises about 4.3% of UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp's holdings in Microsoft were worth $67,492,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 53.8% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Avondale Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 144.4% during the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at about $62,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at about $141,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 3,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 43,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,339,590. The trade was a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 75,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $436.05, for a total transaction of $32,703,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 476,999 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,995,413.95. This trade represents a 13.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 135,743 shares of company stock worth $60,224,683. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT traded up $3.81 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $467.68. 20,094,702 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 21,489,870. Microsoft Co. has a fifty-two week low of $344.79 and a fifty-two week high of $469.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The firm has a market cap of $3.48 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.03. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $413.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $415.95.

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

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MSFT shares. TD Securities raised their target price on Microsoft from $475.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Westpark Capital restated a "hold" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Bank of America decreased their price target on Microsoft from $510.00 to $480.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Microsoft from $500.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-one have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $513.13.

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.