Key Points
- Microsoft EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares for about $3.98 million at an average price of $544.37 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. She retained 548,091 shares after the sale.
- Microsoft reported quarterly EPS of $4.89 and revenue of $92.28 billion, beating analyst estimates; revenue rose 18.8% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend from $0.91 to $0.98 per share.
- Analysts’ consensus rating was Moderate Buy, with an average price target of $609.54; 46 analysts rated the stock Buy and four rated it Hold.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.37, for a total transaction of $3,976,622.85. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 548,091 shares of the company's stock, valued at $298,364,297.67. This represents a 1.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Amy Hood also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Tuesday, October 13th, Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of Microsoft stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total transaction of $3,984,293.10.
- On Monday, September 14th, Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of Microsoft stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total transaction of $20,764,903.98.
Microsoft Stock Down 2.2%
MSFT stock opened at $533.16 on Wednesday. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $349.20 and a twelve month high of $559.15. The company has a market cap of $3.96 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.05. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $517.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $441.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.72 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $92.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.28% and a net margin of 41.17%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.13 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.87 earnings per share for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This is a boost from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft's payout ratio is 19.00%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research analysts recently commented on MSFT shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Microsoft from $725.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Mizuho raised their target price on Microsoft from $510.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Griffin Securities downgraded shares of Microsoft from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Tigress Financial boosted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $680.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $609.54.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Microsoft
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Microsoft
A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Microsoft in the second quarter valued at $27,338,370,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth $18,306,443,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth $6,928,664,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter valued at $5,653,812,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter valued at $4,000,706,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Microsoft News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
About Microsoft
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Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices, and digital solutions for consumers, businesses, and public-sector organizations. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the company is headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Its products and services include the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 productivity applications, Azure cloud computing, LinkedIn, GitHub, Surface devices, and Xbox gaming products and services. Microsoft also provides business software, cybersecurity tools, and artificial intelligence technologies.
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