Vanderbilt University Buys 2,524 Shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Key Points

• Vanderbilt University increased its holdings in Microsoft by 14.9%, owning a total of 19,476 shares valued at approximately $7.31 million, making Microsoft its 11th largest holding.
• Several institutional investors have significantly increased their stakes in Microsoft, with Norges Bank investing over $44 billion and GAMMA Investing LLC raising their position by over 40,000%.
• Microsoft announced a quarterly dividend of $0.83, with the ex-dividend date set for August 21st, contributing to an annualized dividend yield of 0.65%.

Vanderbilt University boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 14.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,476 shares of the software giant's stock after acquiring an additional 2,524 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for about 1.4% of Vanderbilt University's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Vanderbilt University's holdings in Microsoft were worth $7,311,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Microsoft by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 684,071,705 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $288,336,224,000 after acquiring an additional 10,431,988 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 168,128,024 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $70,720,874,000 after buying an additional 3,103,212 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at $44,343,058,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Microsoft by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 83,787,746 shares of the software giant's stock worth $35,316,535,000 after acquiring an additional 11,600,470 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 59,961,337 shares of the software giant's stock worth $25,273,704,000 after buying an additional 5,370,546 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $433.17, for a total value of $2,599,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 471,036 shares in the company, valued at $204,038,664.12. This represents a 1.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Amy Coleman sold 13,243 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.01, for a total value of $5,985,968.43. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 43,100 shares in the company, valued at $19,481,631. The trade was a 23.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 135,743 shares of company stock valued at $60,224,683. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSFT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America lifted their target price on Microsoft from $515.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $480.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Microsoft from $565.00 to $585.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $525.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $555.86.

Microsoft Trading Up 0.1%

MSFT traded up $0.67 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $513.24. 25,399,623 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,947,285. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $486.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $433.33. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $344.79 and a 1-year high of $518.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.81 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The software giant reported $3.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.35 by $0.30. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.74% and a net margin of 35.79%. Microsoft's revenue for the quarter was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.95 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.65%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.66%.

Microsoft 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.