Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Stock Position Reduced by Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lowered its position in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 14.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 73,454 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 12,324 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises about 2.3% of Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV's holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV's holdings in Microsoft were worth $30,961,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 53.8% during the 4th 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 raised its position in 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 during the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth approximately $141,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT traded down $3.83 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $367.78. 20,940,221 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 21,277,339. Microsoft Co. has a 52 week low of $344.79 and a 52 week high of $468.35. The firm has a market cap of $2.73 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.61, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00. The company's 50 day moving average price is $389.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $413.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.34.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.93 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSFT has been the topic of several recent research reports. DA Davidson upgraded Microsoft from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $425.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Microsoft from $490.00 to $470.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $509.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Microsoft presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $499.97.

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.