Microsoft Corporation $MSFT is Davies Financial Advisors Inc.’s 9th Largest Position

Davies Financial Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 57.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,300 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 4,431 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for approximately 3.0% of Davies Financial Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Davies Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $1,596,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Optas LLC grew its position in Microsoft by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Optas LLC now owns 35,710 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $17,270,000 after buying an additional 3,349 shares during the period. Stevens Capital Partners grew its position in Microsoft by 36.0% during the fourth quarter. Stevens Capital Partners now owns 5,384 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,604,000 after buying an additional 1,425 shares during the period. Ticino Wealth acquired a new position in Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth about $4,235,000. Breachway Investments LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth about $1,408,000. Finally, Dravo Bay LLC grew its position in Microsoft by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Dravo Bay LLC now owns 693 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $335,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 83,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. This trade represents a 6.34% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total transaction of $5,045,695.92. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,486,322.16. This represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on MSFT shares. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Microsoft from a “market perform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Barclays restated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $556.00 to $555.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Tigress Financial raised their target price on shares of Microsoft from $595.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Microsoft from $620.00 to $515.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Thirty-nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $560.88.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $421.92 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $356.28 and a 1-year high of $555.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $398.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $441.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The firm has a market cap of $3.13 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.10.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.21. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.34% and a return on equity of 31.94%. The firm had revenue of $82.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $81.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.46 EPS. Microsoft’s revenue was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft’s payout ratio is presently 21.67%.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bill Ackman revealed a new multi-billion-dollar stake in Microsoft (MSFT), saying the company looks attractively valued and highlighting Azure, Microsoft 365, and AI as key growth drivers. Reuters: Ackman’s Pershing Square takes stake in Microsoft, citing ‘compelling’ valuation
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continued to argue that Microsoft’s AI infrastructure, Azure growth, and OpenAI exposure could support further upside, with some seeing the stock’s weaker recent performance as a buying opportunity. TipRanks: Microsoft Buy Rating Reiterated as AI and Cloud Momentum Builds
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft also announced a board addition, appointing former EY chief Carmine Di Sibio to its board of directors, which is a governance update but not an immediate operating catalyst. PR Newswire: Microsoft announces appointment of Carmine Di Sibio to board of directors
• Negative Sentiment: The UK opened an antitrust probe into Microsoft’s business software and cloud practices, creating a potential regulatory overhang for the stock. Reuters: UK opens antitrust probe into Microsoft’s business software
• Negative Sentiment: LinkedIn, a Microsoft-owned unit, announced 5% workforce cuts, reinforcing that the company is still trimming costs even as it ramps AI spending. Reuters: LinkedIn to lay off 5% of workforce amid tech industry cuts

About Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft develops, licenses and supports a broad range of software products, services and devices for consumers, enterprises and governments worldwide. Its operations span personal computing, productivity software, cloud infrastructure, enterprise applications, developer tools and gaming.

Microsoft’s product portfolio includes the Windows operating system and the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity and collaboration tools (Office apps, Outlook, Teams).