Wealth Effects LLC Sells 1,232 Shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Key Points

• Wealth Effects LLC reduced its holdings in Microsoft Corporation by 6.5%, selling 1,232 shares in Q1, leaving them with a total of 17,698 shares valued at approximately $6.64 million.
• Several analysts recently upgraded their price targets for Microsoft, with estimates ranging from $600 to $650, and 31 analysts maintaining a buy rating on the stock.
• Microsoft announced a quarterly dividend of $0.83 to be paid on September 11th, reflecting a 0.6% yield based on its current stock price.

Wealth Effects LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 6.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,698 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 1,232 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up 2.8% of Wealth Effects LLC's holdings, making the stock its 8th largest position. Wealth Effects LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $6,644,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on Microsoft from $550.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Microsoft from $550.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Microsoft from $585.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on Microsoft from $540.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-one have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $609.86.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 13,243 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $463.00, for a total value of $1,389,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,339,590. This represents a 6.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 54,743 shares of company stock worth $24,921,913. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $527.75 on Wednesday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $492.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $436.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.35. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $344.79 and a one year high of $555.45. The company has a market capitalization of $3.92 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.06.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $3.35 by $0.30. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.44% and a net margin of 36.15%. The firm had revenue of $76.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $73.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.95 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company 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 is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Microsoft's 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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