Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Sold by Beach Investment Counsel Inc. PA

Beach Investment Counsel Inc. PA cut its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 12.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 46,700 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 6,494 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up approximately 2.7% of Beach Investment Counsel Inc. PA's holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Beach Investment Counsel Inc. PA's holdings in Microsoft were worth $19,684,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Net Worth Advisory Group purchased a new position in Microsoft in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,645,000. Adamsbrown Wealth Consultants LLC boosted its position in shares of Microsoft by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Adamsbrown Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 5,967 shares of the software giant's stock worth $2,515,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 263,534 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $113,399,000 after acquiring an additional 18,544 shares during the last quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 76,296 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $32,830,000 after purchasing an additional 1,489 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the third quarter worth about $3,314,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of MSFT stock traded up $6.80 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $382.19. 19,648,293 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 20,595,340. 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 Co. has a 52-week low of $367.24 and a 52-week high of $468.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $404.45 and a 200 day moving average of $418.77. The company has a market cap of $2.84 trillion, a PE ratio of 30.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.92.

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 (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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.93 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Microsoft's payout ratio is 26.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MSFT shares. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $550.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, March 20th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $525.00 to $510.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $520.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Microsoft from $510.00 to $500.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Microsoft from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $508.86.

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.