Realta Investment Advisors Decreases Holdings in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Realta Investment Advisors lessened its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 57.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 15,901 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 21,328 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for about 3.1% of Realta Investment Advisors’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Realta Investment Advisors’ holdings in Microsoft were worth $6,665,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Key Financial Inc increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% in the third quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 29,568 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $12,723,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 27,577 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $11,866,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Greenwich Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Greenwich Wealth Management LLC now owns 54,082 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $23,272,000 after buying an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Fullcircle Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Microsoft by 2.3% during the third quarter. Fullcircle Wealth LLC now owns 14,458 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $6,168,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares during the period. Finally, Visionary Horizons LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 7.7% in the third quarter. Visionary Horizons LLC now owns 3,517 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,514,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

MSFT stock opened at $418.58 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.11 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.90. Microsoft Co. has a 12 month low of $366.50 and a 12 month high of $468.35. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $428.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $428.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The software giant reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.20. Microsoft had a return on equity of 34.56% and a net margin of 35.61%. The business had revenue of $65.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $64.57 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.99 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.39%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on MSFT shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Microsoft from $475.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price 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. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $515.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $497.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $509.90.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Takeshi Numoto sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $447.41, for a total value of $1,118,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 49,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,080,578.32. This trade represents a 4.82 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Judson Althoff sold 25,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.00, for a total transaction of $10,425,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 117,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,911,598. The trade was a 17.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 41,200 shares of company stock worth $17,383,892 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

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.