Kestra Advisory Services LLC Has $393.05 Million Stake in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Kestra Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 9.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,061,804 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 90,639 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up about 1.5% of Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $393,048,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MSFT. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 51.3% in the second quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Bernzott Capital Advisors acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Fairway Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 287.0% in the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 89 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Down 2.2%

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $381.58 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $399.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $408.26. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $349.20 and a one year high of $555.45. The firm has a market cap of $2.83 trillion, a PE ratio of 22.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.27.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.06 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $82.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.44 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.94% and a net margin of 39.34%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.46 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Microsoft’s payout ratio is currently 21.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSFT has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $540.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Phillip Securities upgraded Microsoft to a “buy” rating and set a $485.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Citizens Jmp began coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $550.00 price objective for the company. President Capital lifted their price objective on Microsoft from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $502.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Forty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $555.40.

Microsoft News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft expanded its partnership with Databricks through the 2030s, deepening integrations across Azure, Microsoft 365, Teams and Copilot and reinforcing its cloud and AI ecosystem. Microsoft (MSFT) Expands Partnership with AI Firm Databricks
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft also deepened ties with AI startup Mistral, adding another strategic AI partner and broadening its footprint in regulated industries and Europe. Microsoft and Mistral expand strategic partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft committed $60 million and Azure compute credits to the U.S. Department of Energy’s “Genesis Mission,” highlighting ongoing investment in AI-for-science initiatives and government relationships. Microsoft commits $60M to ‘Genesis Mission’
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary remained constructive, with Truist reiterating a buy rating and a $575 price target, suggesting substantial upside if earnings and AI demand remain solid. Analyst note on Microsoft

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 1,262 shares of the company’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 in the company, valued at $18,922,874.02. This represents a 2.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $402.84, for a total transaction of $1,812,780.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 47,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,122,009.12. This represents a 8.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 23,762 shares of company stock valued at $10,508,361 over the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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).