KeyCorp Reiterates “Sector Weight” Rating for Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)‘s stock had its “sector weight” rating reaffirmed by investment analysts at KeyCorp in a report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on MSFT. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $480.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $515.00 to $500.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $509.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Microsoft from $490.00 to $470.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Westpark Capital started coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $499.97.

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $367.78 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.73 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. Microsoft has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $468.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $388.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $412.78.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Microsoft

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Microsoft by 53.8% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Avondale Wealth Management lifted its stake in Microsoft by 144.4% in the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.