Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) is Braun Stacey Associates Inc.'s 3rd Largest Position

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 327,895 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 7,261 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises about 5.2% of Braun Stacey Associates Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Braun Stacey Associates Inc.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $138,208,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MSFT. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Avondale Wealth Management grew its holdings in Microsoft by 144.4% in the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 3rd quarter valued at about $62,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth about $141,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $367.78 on Monday. Microsoft Co. has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $468.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a market cap of $2.73 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $388.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $412.70.

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, beating 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 period last year, the firm posted $2.93 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. Microsoft's payout ratio is 26.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $480.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Microsoft from $510.00 to $500.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Microsoft from $515.00 to $475.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Microsoft from $515.00 to $500.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wedbush reduced their price objective on Microsoft from $550.00 to $475.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $499.97.

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.

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