AdvisorNet Financial Inc Decreases Holdings in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

AdvisorNet Financial Inc cut its holdings in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 4.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 61,377 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 2,773 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises approximately 2.5% of AdvisorNet Financial Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. AdvisorNet Financial Inc’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $25,822,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA now owns 66,295 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $27,892,000 after purchasing an additional 3,482 shares during the last quarter. Steph & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 29.7% during the first quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 1,228 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $517,000 after buying an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 1st quarter valued at $11,427,000. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC now owns 12,829 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $5,398,000 after acquiring an additional 584 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cherrydale Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Microsoft by 18.5% during the 1st quarter. Cherrydale Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,656 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,380,000 after acquiring an additional 884 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $446.95 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $424.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $409.90. Microsoft Co. has a 12 month low of $309.45 and a 12 month high of $456.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.32 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.89.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The software giant reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.13. The company 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 firm’s revenue was up 17.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.45 EPS. Analysts forecast that Microsoft Co. will post 11.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 25.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSFT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Macquarie lifted their price target on Microsoft from $460.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $500.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Microsoft from $465.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $450.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Microsoft from $480.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $467.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Microsoft news, EVP Judson Althoff sold 25,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.68, for a total transaction of $10,642,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 104,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,674,690.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CMO Takeshi Numoto sold 322 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $416.60, for a total transaction of $134,145.20. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 47,255 shares in the company, valued at $19,686,433. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Judson Althoff sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.68, for a total value of $10,642,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 104,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,674,690.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 25,566 shares of company stock worth $10,877,535. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.