Arizona State Retirement System Sells 68,399 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Arizona State Retirement System reduced its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,993,631 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 68,399 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 5.2% of Arizona State Retirement System’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $964,160,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MSFT. Gold Investment Management Ltd. grew its position in Microsoft by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. now owns 19,706 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $9,530,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Microsoft by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,710 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,762,000 after purchasing an additional 404 shares during the last quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC grew its position in Microsoft by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC now owns 74,073 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $35,823,000 after purchasing an additional 6,175 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 19.5% in the fourth quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,602 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $3,677,000 after acquiring an additional 1,238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 102,806 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $49,719,000 after acquiring an additional 2,400 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 1,262 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $411.34, for a total transaction of $519,111.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,922,874.02. This trade represents a 2.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,486,322.16. The trade was a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $417.42 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $398.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $439.04. 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 $3.10 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $356.28 and a 1-year high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.06 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $82.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.44 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.34% and a return on equity of 31.94%. Microsoft’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.46 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.67%.

More Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s Azure cloud business is still growing strongly, with recent commentary pointing to about 40% growth, reinforcing the company’s AI and cloud leadership thesis. 9 Best Cloud Stocks to Buy as Azure Growth Hits 40%
• Positive Sentiment: The jury defeat for Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI removed a legal overhang around Microsoft’s AI partner ecosystem and was viewed as a bullish development for MSFT’s broader AI strategy. Musk loses blockbuster OpenAI suit as jury says too late
• Positive Sentiment: New product news around Surface devices for business and AI workloads suggests Microsoft is still pushing enterprise hardware and AI adoption across its ecosystem. Microsoft launches Surface Pro 12 and Surface Laptop 8 with Intel chips
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft also unveiled enterprise Surface models powered by Intel Core Ultra chips, which is a product refresh but not likely a major near-term stock catalyst on its own. Microsoft (MSFT) Unveils Enterprise Surface Lineup Powered by Intel Core Ultra Series 3
• Neutral Sentiment: LinkedIn said it will lay off more than 600 employees, a cost-cutting move that may help margins but also signals restructuring inside Microsoft’s professional networking unit. Panic in California as LinkedIn announces hundreds of layoffs
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors are focusing on concerns about mixed Xbox messaging, which may be weighing on sentiment around Microsoft’s gaming segment. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Slips on Mixed Xbox Messaging
• Negative Sentiment: Another report highlighted a Windows drivers issue that could hurt battery life on Windows 11 laptops, adding a small but negative product-quality overhang. “Blind Spot” in Windows Drivers Leads to Sub-Par Battery Life, Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) Slips
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by EVP Amy Coleman, while modest, can also dampen sentiment when the stock is already under pressure. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) EVP Amy Coleman Sells 1,262 Shares

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MSFT shares. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $620.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. New Street Research lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $675.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen raised shares of Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wolfe Research decreased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $625.00 to $530.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $392.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Thirty-nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $560.88.

Microsoft Profile

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).