Short Interest in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Declines By 14.2%

Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 53,630,000 shares, a drop of 14.2% from the January 31st total of 62,490,000 shares. Approximately 0.7% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 22,020,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.4 days.

Microsoft Stock Down 1.0 %

MSFT stock traded down $4.03 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $396.99. The company had a trading volume of 15,964,555 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,920,070. Microsoft has a 52 week low of $381.00 and a 52 week high of $468.35. The company has a market capitalization of $2.95 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.96, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $417.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $422.24.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.08. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.43% and a return on equity of 33.36%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.93 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Microsoft will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Takeshi Numoto sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.41, for a total value of $1,118,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 49,352 shares in the company, valued at $22,080,578.32. This trade represents a 4.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Microsoft

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 35.7% during the 3rd quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 95 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 53.8% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MSFT shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $475.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $425.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $550.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Microsoft from $540.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $510.96.

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.