Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Stake Lessened by BCS Wealth Management

BCS Wealth Management decreased its holdings in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,024 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for approximately 1.0% of BCS Wealth Management’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. BCS Wealth Management’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $2,641,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 112,158.6% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 150,187,424 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $36,017,948,000 after purchasing an additional 150,053,637 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth approximately $20,700,525,000. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Microsoft by 35,465.9% during the first quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 20,611,140 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $66,852,000 after purchasing an additional 20,553,188 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in Microsoft by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 119,417,954 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $28,638,815,000 after purchasing an additional 14,652,150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 348.6% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 11,998,927 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $894,426,000 after purchasing an additional 9,324,182 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Microsoft news, major shareholder Corp Microsoft sold 1,000,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.95, for a total transaction of $1,950,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,677,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,770,926.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Microsoft news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 3,303 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $406.12, for a total transaction of $1,341,414.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 570,826 shares in the company, valued at approximately $231,823,855.12. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Corp Microsoft sold 1,000,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.95, for a total value of $1,950,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 11,677,398 shares in the company, valued at $22,770,926.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,070,258 shares of company stock worth $30,690,456 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on MSFT. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $390.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 5th. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Microsoft from $400.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Microsoft from $420.00 to $455.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Wedbush upped their price target on Microsoft from $475.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $465.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $423.34.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $421.43 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $409.64 and a 200-day moving average of $373.65. Microsoft Co. has a one year low of $272.05 and a one year high of $430.82. The stock has a market cap of $3.13 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.20.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The software giant reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.17. Microsoft had a net margin of 36.27% and a return on equity of 38.40%. The company had revenue of $62.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $61.14 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Microsoft Co. will post 11.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.12%.

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.