Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Sold by PNC Financial Services Group Inc.

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,436,069 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 69,764 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises about 2.6% of PNC Financial Services Group Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. owned about 0.13% of Microsoft worth $4,060,340,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 169.2% during the second quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 70 shares of the software giant's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Microsoft in the second quarter worth approximately $45,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Microsoft during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $62,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $75,000. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 338 shares of the software giant's stock worth $145,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of MSFT stock traded down $2.65 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $444.06. 15,539,488 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,490,811. The company's 50 day moving average is $431.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $425.54. Microsoft Co. has a 1 year low of $385.58 and a 1 year high of $468.35. The company has a market cap of $3.30 trillion, a P/E ratio of 36.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.29.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The software giant reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $65.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $64.57 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 34.56% and a net margin of 35.61%. Microsoft's quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.99 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 12.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.39%.

Insider Activity

In other Microsoft news, EVP Judson Althoff sold 25,000 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 117,294 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,911,598. This trade represents a 17.57 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Takeshi Numoto sold 1,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $414.72, for a total transaction of $414,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 57,511 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,850,961.92. The trade was a 1.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 41,200 shares of company stock worth $17,383,892. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen cut their price target on Microsoft from $495.00 to $475.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $475.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $490.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday, January 17th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $509.00 price target on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $512.66.

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.