Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Purchased by Ieq Capital LLC

Ieq Capital LLC raised its holdings in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 778,127 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,716 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for about 3.2% of Ieq Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Ieq Capital LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $327,981,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Adamsbrown Wealth Consultants LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Adamsbrown Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 5,967 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $2,515,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 263,534 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $113,399,000 after acquiring an additional 18,544 shares in the last quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 76,296 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $32,830,000 after acquiring an additional 1,489 shares during the period. Campbell Wealth Management purchased a new position in Microsoft in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $3,314,000. Finally, Centric Wealth Management raised its holdings in Microsoft by 0.7% during the third quarter. Centric Wealth Management now owns 16,156 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $6,789,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

Microsoft stock opened at $374.58 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $2.78 trillion, a P/E ratio of 30.16, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $385.70 and a 200-day moving average of $411.70. Microsoft Co. has a 52-week low of $344.79 and a 52-week high of $468.35.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 last year, the firm earned $2.93 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on MSFT shares. Westpark Capital initiated coverage on Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Microsoft from $520.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $500.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $475.00 price objective (down from $500.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $494.80.

Microsoft 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.