Plimoth Trust Co. LLC Has $22.37 Million Position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Plimoth Trust Co. LLC decreased its holdings in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 5.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 50,059 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 2,633 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises approximately 6.0% of Plimoth Trust Co. LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $22,374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MSFT. Penobscot Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Penobscot Wealth Management now owns 8,311 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $3,125,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Wisconsin Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Wisconsin Capital Management LLC now owns 25,868 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $9,727,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Gould Asset Management LLC CA raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Gould Asset Management LLC CA now owns 8,841 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $3,325,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 24,805 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $9,328,000 after purchasing an additional 589 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Advisers Inc. raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 28.5% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. now owns 424 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now owns 544,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $219,349,953.73. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 78,353 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 864,327 shares in the company, valued at $353,189,942.01. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 40,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the insider now owns 544,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $219,349,953.73. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 190,629 shares of company stock valued at $77,916,485 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Down 1.0 %

MSFT stock opened at $429.17 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $3.19 trillion, a P/E ratio of 37.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.90. Microsoft Co. has a 52 week low of $309.45 and a 52 week high of $468.35. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $420.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $424.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The software giant reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.05. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.96% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The company had revenue of $64.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $64.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Microsoft Co. will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan 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 plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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 given a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Microsoft’s payout ratio is currently 28.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $550.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Microsoft from $465.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $506.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Finally, Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-one have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $493.94.

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.