Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 16.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,050 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 2,800 shares during the period. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft Corporation were worth $925,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft Corporation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,334,099,000. Janus Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Janus Capital Management LLC now owns 49,271,731 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $3,061,887,000 after buying an additional 4,250,705 shares during the last quarter. Dodge & Cox acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft Corporation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,658,504,000. Viking Global Investors LP increased its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation by 60.6% in the fourth quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 21,950,056 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,363,976,000 after buying an additional 8,282,782 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation by 1.1% in the first quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 18,652,532 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,228,456,000 after buying an additional 199,259 shares during the last quarter. 72.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ MSFT) traded down 0.862% during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $73.015. 8,572,005 shares of the company traded hands. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $55.61 and a 52-week high of $74.42. The firm has a market cap of $562.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.943 and a beta of 1.01. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $71.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.17.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 20th. The software giant reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $24.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.29 billion. Microsoft Corporation had a net margin of 23.57% and a return on equity of 36.81%. Microsoft Corporation’s revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.69 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post $3.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 17th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 15th. Microsoft Corporation’s payout ratio is 57.78%.
Several analysts have issued reports on MSFT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $81.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft Corporation in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Morningstar, Inc. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft Corporation in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Pacific Crest reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price objective (up previously from $70.00) on shares of Microsoft Corporation in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The) raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft Corporation from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $72.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft Corporation in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the company. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $76.15.
In other Microsoft Corporation news, EVP Christopher C. Capossela sold 4,927 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.75, for a total value of $338,731.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 214,080 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,718,000. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jean Philippe Courtois sold 26,763 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.00, for a total transaction of $1,980,462.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 544,080 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $40,261,920. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,057,855 shares of company stock valued at $512,044,578 over the last three months. 2.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
About Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft Corporation is a technology company. The Company develops, licenses, and supports a range of software products, services and devices. The Company’s segments include Productivity and Business Processes, Intelligent Cloud and More Personal Computing. The Company’s products include operating systems; cross-device productivity applications; server applications; business solution applications; desktop and server management tools; software development tools; video games, and training and certification of computer system integrators and developers.
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