Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Acquired by McNaughton Wealth Management LLC

McNaughton Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 16.9% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,674 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 531 shares during the period. McNaughton Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $1,379,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MSFT. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at $62,000. Finally, Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at $120,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $495.94 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.37. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $344.79 and a fifty-two week high of $499.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.69 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.03. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $449.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $421.93.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The software giant reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $70.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.54 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.74% and a net margin of 35.79%. The firm’s revenue was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.94 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.66%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $463.00, for a total value of $1,389,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 43,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,339,590. The trade was a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.77, for a total value of $9,756,055.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 134,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,208,127.76. The trade was a 13.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 135,743 shares of company stock valued at $60,224,683. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on MSFT shares. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Evercore ISI set a $515.00 price target on Microsoft and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wedbush increased their price target on Microsoft from $515.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $521.14.

About Microsoft

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.