Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Stake Lessened by Mcdonald Partners LLC

Mcdonald Partners LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 45,948 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,237 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises 4.9% of Mcdonald Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Mcdonald Partners LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $19,367,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MSFT. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 53.8% during 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. Avondale Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 144.4% during the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft in the third quarter valued at $62,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new stake in Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at $141,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $359.12 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.67 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.91, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00. Microsoft Co. has a 52-week low of $344.79 and a 52-week high of $468.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company’s 50 day moving average is $387.26 and its 200 day moving average is $412.30.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 prior year, the firm posted $2.93 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 26.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSFT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $509.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Microsoft from $510.00 to $480.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Wedbush cut their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $550.00 to $475.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Microsoft from $475.00 to $430.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $497.63.

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.