Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) is Hamel Associates Inc.’s 5th Largest Position

Hamel Associates Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,169 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 179 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 3.7% of Hamel Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Hamel Associates Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $11,696,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. First Business Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Microsoft by 1.3% during the second quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. now owns 18,106 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $8,092,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the period. SouthState Corp grew its holdings in Microsoft by 2.8% during the second quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 201,661 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $90,133,000 after acquiring an additional 5,540 shares during the period. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 10.5% during the second quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 72,133 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $32,098,000 after acquiring an additional 6,856 shares during the period. Nottingham Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Microsoft by 56.3% during the second quarter. Nottingham Advisors Inc. now owns 10,242 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $4,578,000 after acquiring an additional 3,690 shares during the period. Finally, First Dallas Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Microsoft by 25.9% during the second quarter. First Dallas Securities Inc. now owns 20,433 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $9,133,000 after acquiring an additional 4,199 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $418.16 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.11 trillion, a P/E ratio of 36.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.90. Microsoft Co. has a 1-year low of $324.39 and a 1-year high of $468.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $419.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $424.51.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The software giant reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $64.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $64.38 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 35.96%. The company’s revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.69 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 13.02 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. Microsoft’s payout ratio is currently 28.74%.

Microsoft declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Monday, September 16th that authorizes the company to buyback $60.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the software giant to purchase up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 40,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $402.59, for a total value of $16,103,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 544,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $219,349,953.73. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CMO Takeshi Numoto sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $411.04, for a total transaction of $1,027,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 50,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,552,000. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $402.59, for a total value of $16,103,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 544,847 shares in the company, valued at $219,349,953.73. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 190,629 shares of company stock valued at $77,916,485 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Microsoft from $465.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Microsoft from $515.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Oppenheimer lowered Microsoft from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on Microsoft from $490.00 to $505.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $495.68.

Microsoft 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.