Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Purchased by Optas LLC

Optas LLC raised its position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 26,062 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 136 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises about 2.9% of Optas LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position. Optas LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $9,800,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Williams & Novak LLC purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,031,000. Segment Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 65,807 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $24,746,000 after acquiring an additional 1,700 shares during the period. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 38.9% in the fourth quarter. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC now owns 4,375 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,645,000 after acquiring an additional 1,226 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Microsoft by 91.6% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 518,005 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $194,790,000 after purchasing an additional 247,609 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Microsoft by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC now owns 59,409 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $22,340,000 after purchasing an additional 2,885 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $406.66 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.02 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.89. Microsoft Co. has a 12 month low of $303.40 and a 12 month high of $430.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The business has a 50-day moving average of $413.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $390.05.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The software giant reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $61.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.86 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 36.43% and a return on equity of 37.54%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.45 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Microsoft Co. will post 11.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $480.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Microsoft from $415.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $480.00 price objective (up from $450.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $465.00 target price (up from $455.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Microsoft from $455.00 to $465.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $452.61.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other news, major shareholder Corp Microsoft sold 1,000,000 shares of the company’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 sale, the insider now owns 11,677,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,770,926.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Corp Microsoft sold 1,000,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.95, for a total value of $1,950,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,677,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,770,926.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,955 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $403.96, for a total value of $8,868,941.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 159,764 shares in the company, valued at $64,538,265.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,025,258 shares of company stock valued at $12,160,356 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Company 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.