Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 108.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 360,474 shares of the software giant's stock after acquiring an additional 187,171 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for 3.0% of Exchange Traded Concepts LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $151,940,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 35.7% in the third quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 95 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth about $45,000. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 53.8% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the software giant's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Avondale Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 144.4% during the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Microsoft in the third quarter worth about $62,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research firms have weighed in on MSFT. StockNews.com cut Microsoft from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. DA Davidson upgraded Microsoft from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $425.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, January 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $509.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $500.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $510.43.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Microsoft
Microsoft Stock Performance
Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $378.77 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $413.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $420.77. Microsoft Co. has a 52-week low of $376.91 and a 52-week high of $468.35. The company has a market cap of $2.82 trillion, a PE ratio of 30.50, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.92. 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 (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 period in the previous year, the company earned $2.93 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 EPS for the current year.
Microsoft Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Microsoft's payout ratio is currently 26.73%.
Microsoft Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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