Transcend Capital Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Transcend Capital Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 9.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 96,653 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 10,341 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for about 3.2% of Transcend Capital Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $36,345,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Opinicus Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,992,000. Matrix Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 6,570 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $2,471,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at $3,641,000. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 37.8% during the 4th quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 25,158 shares of the software giant's stock worth $9,460,000 after acquiring an additional 6,906 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,906 shares of the software giant's stock worth $5,982,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Trading Down 3.4 %

Shares of MSFT traded down $14.50 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $414.67. 28,402,272 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 21,211,383. Microsoft Co. has a 1-year low of $309.45 and a 1-year high of $433.60. The business has a fifty day moving average of $416.87 and a 200-day moving average of $400.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.08 trillion, a PE ratio of 36.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.89.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The software giant reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $61.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.86 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 36.43% and a return on equity of 37.54%. Microsoft's revenue was up 17.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.45 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Microsoft Co. will post 11.77 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. Microsoft's payout ratio is 25.97%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,955 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $403.96, for a total transaction of $8,868,941.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 159,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $64,538,265.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Judson Althoff sold 25,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $425.68, for a total transaction of $10,642,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 104,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,674,690.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,955 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $403.96, for a total value of $8,868,941.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 159,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at $64,538,265.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on MSFT. StockNews.com lowered shares of Microsoft from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $500.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, March 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $450.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Barclays increased their price objective on Microsoft from $421.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Macquarie boosted their target price on Microsoft from $460.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $454.70.

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.