Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Down 0.8% - What's Next?

Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) shares traded down 0.8% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $405.88 and last traded at $407.43. 8,259,270 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 62% from the average session volume of 21,742,498 shares. The stock had previously closed at $410.54.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSFT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $509.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Microsoft from $525.00 to $510.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Microsoft from $475.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Loop Capital increased their target price on Microsoft from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $510.96.

Microsoft Stock Down 0.5 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a market capitalization of $3.04 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.90. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $428.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $422.92.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted 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 return on equity of 33.36% and a net margin of 35.43%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.93 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Microsoft Co. will post 13.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Judson Althoff sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.00, for a total value of $10,425,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 117,294 shares of the company's stock, valued at $48,911,598. The trade was a 17.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Takeshi Numoto sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $447.41, for a total transaction of $1,118,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 49,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,080,578.32. This trade represents a 4.82 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 34,000 shares of company stock worth $14,333,540. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Microsoft

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 53.8% during the fourth 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. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the second quarter valued at $45,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.