Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Up 0.3%

Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) shares were up 0.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $413.10 and last traded at $409.93. Approximately 3,875,033 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 20,627,438 shares. The stock had previously closed at $408.90.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSFT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Tigress Financial raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $475.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 13th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $600.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Microsoft from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, June 7th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Microsoft from $520.00 to $506.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, New Street Research began coverage on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, June 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $570.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $494.72.

Microsoft Stock Down 1.6 %

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $427.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $422.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.99 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.90.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The software giant reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $64.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $64.38 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 35.96%. The business’s revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.69 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be given a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.97%.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In related news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 78,353 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $408.63, for a total value of $32,017,386.39. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 864,327 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $353,189,942.01. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Microsoft news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 78,353 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.63, for a total transaction of $32,017,386.39. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 864,327 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $353,189,942.01. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Amy Hood sold 38,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.55, for a total transaction of $15,600,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 496,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $203,784,292.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 130,751 shares of company stock valued at $53,628,156 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Microsoft

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cim LLC raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. Cim LLC now owns 11,975 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $4,890,000 after buying an additional 792 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $361,162,000. Clear Rock Advisors LLC lifted its position in Microsoft by 0.9% during the second quarter. Clear Rock Advisors LLC now owns 9,711 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $4,340,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Creekside Partners purchased a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter worth approximately $2,879,000. Finally, NCP Inc. increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 24.7% in the second quarter. NCP Inc. now owns 8,531 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $3,813,000 after acquiring an additional 1,689 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Company Profile

Microsoft Corporation develops and supports software, services, devices and solutions worldwide. The Productivity and Business Processes segment offers office, exchange, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, office 365 Security and Compliance, Microsoft viva, and Microsoft 365 copilot; and office consumer services, such as Microsoft 365 consumer subscriptions, Office licensed on-premises, and other office services.