Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Trading 1.8% Higher - Here's Why

Shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) were up 1.8% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $363.12 and last traded at $360.82. Approximately 7,896,844 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 62% from the average daily volume of 20,933,848 shares. The stock had previously closed at $354.56.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $500.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com cut Microsoft from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Tigress Financial increased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $550.00 to $595.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Wedbush reduced their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $550.00 to $475.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $505.41.

Microsoft Stock Up 1.9 %

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 stock has a market capitalization of $2.89 trillion, a PE ratio of 31.28, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00. The firm's fifty day moving average is $391.89 and its 200-day moving average is $414.53.

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 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 prior year, the business posted $2.93 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.73%.

Institutional Trading of Microsoft

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Adamsbrown Wealth Consultants LLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Adamsbrown Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 5,967 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $2,515,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 7.6% in the third quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 263,534 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $113,399,000 after buying an additional 18,544 shares in the last quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 76,296 shares of the software giant's stock worth $32,830,000 after buying an additional 1,489 shares during the last quarter. Campbell Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 3rd quarter worth about $3,314,000. Finally, Evernest Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Microsoft by 389.2% in the 3rd quarter. Evernest Financial Advisors LLC now owns 53,770 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $23,137,000 after acquiring an additional 42,778 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company's stock.

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.