Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) is Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc's 10th Largest Position

Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc trimmed its position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 2.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 68,273 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 1,385 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up approximately 2.3% of Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc's portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc's holdings in Microsoft were worth $29,378,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Value Partners Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 1.9% during the third quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 51,719 shares of the software giant's stock worth $22,255,000 after acquiring an additional 977 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 306,024 shares of the software giant's stock worth $131,682,000 after purchasing an additional 3,802 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC now owns 42,556 shares of the software giant's stock worth $18,312,000 after purchasing an additional 4,895 shares during the period. Consilio Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Consilio Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 51,388 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $22,111,000 after buying an additional 1,709 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chemistry Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 2.3% during the third quarter. Chemistry Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,500 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $7,100,000 after buying an additional 368 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Trading Down 0.1 %

MSFT opened at $414.17 on Friday. Microsoft Co. has a 12 month low of $362.90 and a 12 month high of $468.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $422.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $426.05. The firm has a market cap of $3.08 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.17, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.91. 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 - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The software giant reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $65.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $64.57 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.61% and a return on equity of 34.56%. Microsoft's revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.99 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. This is an increase from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is presently 24.75%.

Microsoft declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Monday, September 16th that authorizes the company to buyback $60.00 billion in 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 typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MSFT. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Microsoft from $506.00 to $548.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company restated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, October 18th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Microsoft from $500.00 to $497.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $501.00 to $500.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $495.00 to $475.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $503.03.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 78,353 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $408.63, for a total value of $32,017,386.39. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 864,327 shares in the company, valued at $353,189,942.01. This represents a 8.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Amy Hood sold 38,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.55, for a total transaction of $15,600,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 496,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $203,784,292.95. This trade represents a 7.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 183,431 shares of company stock worth $74,956,968 over the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Microsoft 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.