Secured Retirement Advisors Reduces Microsoft Stake, Analysts Set Price Targets

Secured Retirement Advisors LLC has decreased its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) by 3.1% during the second quarter of 2023. According to a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the firm now holds 14,128 shares of the technology giant after selling 447 shares during this period. Microsoft constitutes approximately 4.2% of Secured Retirement Advisors’ total holdings, making it the firm’s second-largest investment, valued at around $7,028,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also adjusted their positions in Microsoft recently. Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. increased its stake by 2.2%, bringing its total to 4,139 shares worth $2,059,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares. Abel Hall LLC significantly boosted its holdings by 34.9%, now owning 9,716 shares valued at $4,833,000. Mainsail Asset Management LLC raised its investment by 0.5%, resulting in ownership of 4,854 shares worth $2,414,000.

Mirova US LLC made a notable increase of 22.6% in its holdings, now owning 1,963,799 shares valued at approximately $976,813,000 after purchasing 361,519 additional shares. Similarly, Triasima Portfolio Management Inc. raised its stake by 10.8%, resulting in ownership of 18,575 shares valued at $9,239,000. Overall, institutional investors collectively own 71.13% of Microsoft’s stock.

In recent executive trades, Microsoft’s Executive Vice President, Takeshi Numoto, sold 4,850 shares on August 12, fetching an average price of $527.32, totaling approximately $2,557,502. This sale reduced his position by 11.03%, leaving him with 39,111 shares valued at around $20,624,012. Similarly, CEO Satya Nadella sold 149,205 shares on September 3 for approximately $75,315,699.90, reducing his stake by 15.87% to 790,852 shares valued at $399,206,272.56.

Analysts have recently issued new price targets for Microsoft shares. Piper Sandler maintained an “overweight” rating, setting a target price of $650.00. Stifel Nicolaus and the Royal Bank of Canada also set target prices of $640.00. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating with a target of $630.00. Furthermore, Arete Research raised its price target from $710.00 to $730.00. Currently, one analyst has assigned a “Strong Buy” rating, while thirty-six analysts have rated it as a “Buy,” and one has given a “Hold” rating. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the consensus rating remains at “Buy” with a target price of $634.67.

Microsoft shares experienced a decline of 2.9% on Friday, opening at $525.76. The company boasts a market capitalization of $3.91 trillion and has a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.39. The stock has fluctuated between a low of $344.79 and a high of $555.45 over the past year.

On October 29, Microsoft announced its quarterly earnings, reporting earnings per share (EPS) of $4.13, exceeding the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.48. The company generated revenue of $77.67 billion, surpassing the estimated revenue of $75.49 billion. Microsoft also reported a return on equity of 33.47% and a net margin of 35.71%, with revenue increasing by 18.4% year-over-year.

Additionally, Microsoft declared a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share, payable on December 11, 2023. Shareholders of record on November 20, 2023, will receive this dividend, representing an annualized yield of 0.7% and an increase from the previous dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date is also set for November 20, 2023. Currently, Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio stands at 24.34%.

Microsoft Corporation continues to develop and support a wide range of software, services, devices, and solutions globally, maintaining its status as a key player in the technology sector.