Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Acquired by Armstrong Advisory Group Inc.

Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. boosted its stake in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,868 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for about 1.0% of Armstrong Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $11,561,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stonekeep Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Stonekeep Investments LLC now owns 5,701 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $2,453,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 3.7% during the third quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA now owns 1,381,517 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $594,467,000 after purchasing an additional 49,149 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in Microsoft by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 16,915 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $7,279,000 after buying an additional 1,085 shares during the last quarter. Willner & Heller LLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Willner & Heller LLC now owns 8,006 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $3,445,000 after buying an additional 590 shares during the period. Finally, JBR Co Financial Management Inc raised its position in Microsoft by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. JBR Co Financial Management Inc now owns 3,168 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,363,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Microsoft Trading Up 0.1 %

Microsoft stock opened at $423.46 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $420.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $426.55. Microsoft Co. has a 52 week low of $362.90 and a 52 week high of $468.35. The stock has a market cap of $3.15 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 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) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The software giant reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.20. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.61% and a return on equity of 34.56%. The business had revenue of $65.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $64.57 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.99 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Monday, September 16th that permits the company to buyback $60.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the software giant to buy up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 0.78%. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Microsoft’s payout ratio is currently 27.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 78,353 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 864,327 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $353,189,942.01. This trade represents a 8.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher David Young sold 7,200 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $423.66, for a total value of $3,050,352.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 103,366 shares in the company, valued at $43,792,039.56. The trade was a 6.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 209,431 shares of company stock worth $85,796,688. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MSFT. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $500.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Microsoft from $470.00 to $465.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Microsoft from $500.00 to $495.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Microsoft from $506.00 to $548.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Microsoft from $515.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $503.03.

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.