Calton & Associates Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Calton & Associates Inc. cut its stake in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 40.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,840 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 4,015 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises about 1.1% of Calton & Associates Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Calton & Associates Inc.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $2,462,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MSFT. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 35.7% during the 3rd quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 95 shares of the software giant's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Avondale Wealth Management lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 3rd quarter worth about $62,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at about $141,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of MSFT stock traded up $0.61 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $390.58. The stock had a trading volume of 13,741,615 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,928,355. The company has a market cap of $2.90 trillion, a P/E ratio of 31.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.92. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $376.91 and a 12-month high of $468.35. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $407.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $419.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 35.43% and a return on equity of 33.36%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.93 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Microsoft's payout ratio is currently 26.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Microsoft from $540.00 to $530.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. DA Davidson upgraded shares of Microsoft from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $425.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Loop Capital increased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $509.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Scotiabank initiated coverage on Microsoft in a report on Thursday, March 20th. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $470.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $510.59.

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.