Canopy Partners LLC Reduces Position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Canopy Partners LLC lessened its position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,987 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 743 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises approximately 4.3% of Canopy Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Canopy Partners LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $9,891,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Microsoft by 1.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 47,229,125 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $20,322,513,000 after acquiring an additional 652,493 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Microsoft by 48,526.1% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 38,501,645 shares of the software giant's stock worth $16,567,258,000 after purchasing an additional 38,422,466 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 34,511,544 shares of the software giant's stock worth $15,426,767,000 after purchasing an additional 97,075 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Microsoft by 6.9% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 24,091,789 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $10,768,771,000 after buying an additional 1,563,533 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 0.3% during the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 20,957,770 shares of the software giant's stock worth $9,018,128,000 after buying an additional 57,800 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of Microsoft stock traded down $27.34 on Thursday, hitting $414.99. The stock had a trading volume of 53,865,877 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,496,486. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a market cap of $3.09 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.90. The business's 50 day moving average is $432.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $424.95. Microsoft Co. has a twelve month low of $385.58 and a twelve month high of $468.35.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.08. Microsoft had a return on equity of 34.56% and a net margin of 35.61%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.93 EPS. Analysts forecast that Microsoft Co. will post 12.9 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MSFT shares. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $500.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Truist Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $600.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $500.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $425.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on Microsoft from $501.00 to $500.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $510.24.

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.