Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Sold by Mayfair Advisory Group LLC

Mayfair Advisory Group LLC lessened its stake in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 0.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,252 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 29 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 1.3% of Mayfair Advisory Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Mayfair Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $1,929,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Chico Wealth RIA boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 8.2% in the second quarter. Chico Wealth RIA now owns 2,070 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $925,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Kraft Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 14.2% during the second quarter. Kraft Asset Management LLC now owns 1,137 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $508,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. RCS Financial Planning LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 57.6% in the 2nd quarter. RCS Financial Planning LLC now owns 824 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 76,431 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $34,161,000 after purchasing an additional 2,616 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sunpointe LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 14,221 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $6,356,000 after purchasing an additional 718 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 14,398 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.41, for a total value of $6,009,869.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 786,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $328,473,703.53. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 40,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $402.59, for a total transaction of $16,103,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 544,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,349,953.73. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 14,398 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.41, for a total value of $6,009,869.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 786,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $328,473,703.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 190,629 shares of company stock valued at $77,916,485. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $435.27 on Friday. Microsoft Co. has a fifty-two week low of $309.45 and a fifty-two week high of $468.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a market cap of $3.24 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.90. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $420.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $424.03.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The software giant reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.05. Microsoft had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 35.96%. The company had revenue of $64.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $64.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.69 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Monday, September 16th that allows the company to repurchase $60.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the software giant to repurchase up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a $0.83 dividend. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $506.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Tuesday. New Street Research began coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Monday, June 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $570.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Microsoft from $500.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on Microsoft from $475.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 13th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Microsoft from $520.00 to $510.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $494.72.

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.