Compass Planning Associates Inc Acquires New Holdings in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Compass Planning Associates Inc acquired a new position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,919 shares of the software giant's stock, valued at approximately $809,000. Microsoft comprises about 0.8% of Compass Planning Associates Inc's holdings, making the stock its 12th largest holding.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MSFT. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 53.8% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Avondale Wealth Management increased its position in Microsoft by 144.4% during the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the software giant's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Microsoft during the third quarter worth about $62,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at about $141,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Performance

MSFT stock traded up $4.55 on Friday, hitting $391.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 18,959,931 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,169,050. Microsoft Co. has a 1 year low of $344.79 and a 1 year high of $468.35. The stock has a market cap of $2.91 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $384.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $411.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.93 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. Microsoft's payout ratio is currently 26.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSFT has been the topic of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Microsoft from $490.00 to $470.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $475.00 price target (down previously from $500.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, April 7th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Microsoft from $510.00 to $480.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $520.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, DA Davidson raised shares of Microsoft from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $425.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $493.13.

About Microsoft

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.