Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Position Decreased by Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc

Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc cut its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 0.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 29,964 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 170 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 10.4% of Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $12,894,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. JGP Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 1.5% during the third quarter. JGP Wealth Management LLC now owns 71,568 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $30,796,000 after buying an additional 1,040 shares during the last quarter. West Coast Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% during the third quarter. West Coast Financial LLC now owns 52,268 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $22,491,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 6.1% during the third quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC now owns 36,089 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $15,528,000 after buying an additional 2,068 shares during the last quarter. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.9% during the third quarter. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC now owns 32,574 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $13,517,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LVW Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 8.8% in the third quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 31,142 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $13,401,000 after purchasing an additional 2,516 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 78,353 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.63, for a total value of $32,017,386.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 864,327 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $353,189,942.01. This trade represents a 8.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $402.59, for a total transaction of $16,103,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 544,847 shares in the company, valued at $219,349,953.73. The trade was a 6.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 209,431 shares of company stock valued at $85,796,688 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $422.99 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $421.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $426.42. The company has a market capitalization of $3.14 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.29. Microsoft Co. has a 1 year low of $362.90 and a 1 year high of $468.35.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The software giant reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $65.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $64.57 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.61% and a return on equity of 34.56%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.99 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $550.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Microsoft from $515.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Microsoft from $470.00 to $465.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $500.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $495.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $503.03.

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.