Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Sold by Kovack Advisors Inc.

Kovack Advisors Inc. reduced its position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 58,559 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,895 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 2.7% of Kovack Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $25,198,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Hartline Investment Corp grew its stake in Microsoft by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Hartline Investment Corp now owns 96,590 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $41,563,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 0.8% in the third quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 46,377 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $19,956,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% during the third quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 870,103 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $374,405,000 after acquiring an additional 2,610 shares in the last quarter. Moser Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Moser Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 40,448 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $17,405,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Live Oak Investment Partners boosted its stake in Microsoft by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Live Oak Investment Partners now owns 3,198 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,376,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Price Performance

MSFT stock opened at $429.03 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $429.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $426.58. Microsoft Co. has a 52-week low of $385.58 and a 52-week high of $468.35. The company has a market capitalization of $3.19 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.30 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $65.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $64.57 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.61% and a return on equity of 34.56%. The business’s revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.99 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 12.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid 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 0.77%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.39%.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Judson Althoff sold 25,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.00, for a total value of $10,425,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 117,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,911,598. The trade was a 17.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CMO Takeshi Numoto sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $414.72, for a total transaction of $414,720.00. Following the sale, 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. Insiders sold a total of 41,200 shares of company stock valued at $17,383,892 over the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSFT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Microsoft from $475.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Microsoft from $470.00 to $465.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Mizuho increased their price objective on Microsoft from $480.00 to $510.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $500.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Microsoft in a research report on Friday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $509.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $512.93.

Microsoft 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.