Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. Has $54.71 Million Position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.3% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 122,415 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 1,534 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises about 3.2% of Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $54,714,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. Comerica Bank lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 1,996,360 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $750,711,000 after purchasing an additional 8,482 shares in the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP increased its stake in Microsoft by 327.7% in the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 3,943 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,483,000 after buying an additional 3,021 shares during the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its position in Microsoft by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 4,285 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,611,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 60.1% during the 4th quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP now owns 48,500 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $18,238,000 after buying an additional 18,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barden Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Microsoft by 17.2% during the fourth quarter. Barden Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,754 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $4,044,000 after purchasing an additional 1,577 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $415.84 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.09 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.00, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Microsoft Co. has a twelve month low of $324.39 and a twelve month high of $468.35. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $417.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $424.74.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The software giant reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $64.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $64.38 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 35.96%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Microsoft Co. will post 13.04 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 28.74%.

Microsoft declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Monday, September 16th that authorizes the company to buyback $60.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the software giant to reacquire up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSFT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $506.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Microsoft from $470.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Microsoft from $520.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $515.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $493.47.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 78,353 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.63, for a total value of $32,017,386.39. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 864,327 shares in the company, valued at $353,189,942.01. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $402.59, for a total transaction of $16,103,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 544,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $219,349,953.73. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 78,353 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.63, for a total transaction of $32,017,386.39. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 864,327 shares in the company, valued at $353,189,942.01. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 190,629 shares of company stock valued at $77,916,485. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Microsoft Company 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.