MicroStrategy (NASDAQ:MSTR) Shares Gap Up - Here's What Happened

MicroStrategy Incorporated (NASDAQ:MSTR - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $367.00, but opened at $383.28. MicroStrategy shares last traded at $390.18, with a volume of 4,940,047 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSTR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Maxim Group boosted their price target on MicroStrategy from $193.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays lifted their price target on MicroStrategy from $275.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and issued a $650.00 price objective on shares of MicroStrategy in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. BTIG Research upped their price target on MicroStrategy from $290.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of MicroStrategy from $392.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MicroStrategy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $479.25.

MicroStrategy Stock Up 8.0 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.65. The company's 50 day moving average is $363.86 and its 200 day moving average is $234.79.

MicroStrategy (NASDAQ:MSTR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The software maker reported ($1.56) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.12) by ($1.44). The firm had revenue of $116.07 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $121.45 million. MicroStrategy had a negative net margin of 87.05% and a negative return on equity of 17.31%. The company's revenue was down 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned ($8.98) EPS.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Wei-Ming Shao sold 18,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.01, for a total transaction of $6,624,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,460 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,377,344.60. This represents a 73.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Stephen X. Graham sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $451.36, for a total transaction of $9,027,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,970 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,145,979.20. This represents a 74.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 102,000 shares of company stock worth $32,259,177 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 9.16% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MicroStrategy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of MicroStrategy by 38.2% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 141 shares of the software maker's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in shares of MicroStrategy by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,083 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $603,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of MicroStrategy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $106,000. Magnetar Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of MicroStrategy by 31.6% during the 2nd quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 337 shares of the software maker's stock worth $464,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in MicroStrategy by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 665 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $193,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. 59.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About MicroStrategy

MicroStrategy Incorporated provides artificial intelligence-powered enterprise analytics software and services in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and internationally. It offers MicroStrategy ONE, which provides non-technical users with the ability to directly access novel and actionable insights for decision-making; and MicroStrategy Cloud for Government service, which offers always-on threat monitoring that meets the rigorous technical and regulatory needs of governments and financial institutions.