L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP lowered its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 117,289 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,795 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises about 6.3% of L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $56,723,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 51.3% in the 2nd quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 3rd quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Stock Up 3.1%
Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $421.92 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $398.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $441.39. The stock has a market cap of $3.13 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $356.28 and a fifty-two week high of $555.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.
Microsoft Dividend Announcement
The company 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.67%.
Insider Activity at Microsoft
In related news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $5,045,695.92. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 137,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,486,322.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 83,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,339,651.75. This represents a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Trending Headlines about 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
Analyst Ratings Changes
MSFT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $620.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Arete Research raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $730.00 to $870.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Evercore lowered their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $580.00 to $510.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Thirty-nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $560.88.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Microsoft
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).
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