Walker Financial Services Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Walker Financial Services Inc. reduced its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 19.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,634 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,352 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 1.0% of Walker Financial Services Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Walker Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $2,725,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its stake in Microsoft by 89.4% in the fourth quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 377,607 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $182,643,000 after purchasing an additional 178,249 shares during the period. Financial Plan Inc. purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth $5,505,000. Hudson Value Partners LLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 31,758 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $15,444,000 after purchasing an additional 577 shares during the period. Leelyn Smith LLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Leelyn Smith LLC now owns 28,689 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $13,875,000 after purchasing an additional 356 shares during the period. Finally, City State Bank increased its stake in Microsoft by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 15,447 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $7,470,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bill Ackman revealed a new multi-billion-dollar stake in Microsoft (MSFT), saying the company looks attractively valued and highlighting Azure, Microsoft 365, and AI as key growth drivers. Reuters: Ackman’s Pershing Square takes stake in Microsoft, citing ‘compelling’ valuation
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continued to argue that Microsoft’s AI infrastructure, Azure growth, and OpenAI exposure could support further upside, with some seeing the stock’s weaker recent performance as a buying opportunity. TipRanks: Microsoft Buy Rating Reiterated as AI and Cloud Momentum Builds
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft also announced a board addition, appointing former EY chief Carmine Di Sibio to its board of directors, which is a governance update but not an immediate operating catalyst. PR Newswire: Microsoft announces appointment of Carmine Di Sibio to board of directors
• Negative Sentiment: The UK opened an antitrust probe into Microsoft’s business software and cloud practices, creating a potential regulatory overhang for the stock. Reuters: UK opens antitrust probe into Microsoft’s business software
• Negative Sentiment: LinkedIn, a Microsoft-owned unit, announced 5% workforce cuts, reinforcing that the company is still trimming costs even as it ramps AI spending. Reuters: LinkedIn to lay off 5% of workforce amid tech industry cuts

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 83,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. This trade represents a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $5,045,695.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at $56,486,322.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Microsoft Price Performance

MSFT opened at $421.92 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $356.28 and a 12-month high of $555.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $398.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $441.39. The company has a market capitalization of $3.13 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.11, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.10.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.21. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.94% and a net margin of 39.34%.The company had revenue of $82.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.46 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 21.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on MSFT shares. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday, April 24th. KeyCorp reduced their target price on Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Dbs Bank dropped their price target on Microsoft from $678.00 to $573.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Microsoft from $575.00 to $550.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Thirty-nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $560.88.

Microsoft Profile

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft develops, licenses and supports a broad range of software products, services and devices for consumers, enterprises and governments worldwide. Its operations span personal computing, productivity software, cloud infrastructure, enterprise applications, developer tools and gaming.

Microsoft’s product portfolio includes the Windows operating system and the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity and collaboration tools (Office apps, Outlook, Teams).