Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Trading 0.7% Higher

Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) shares were up 0.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $431.06 and last traded at $430.16. Approximately 11,855,200 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 44% from the average daily volume of 21,251,373 shares. The stock had previously closed at $427.00.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $465.00 to $489.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $465.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Microsoft from $440.00 to $470.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Microsoft from $480.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $480.00 price objective (up from $450.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $454.70.

Microsoft Stock Performance

The company's fifty day moving average is $416.61 and its 200 day moving average is $399.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a market capitalization of $3.20 trillion, a P/E ratio of 37.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.89.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The software giant reported $2.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $61.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.86 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 37.54% and a net margin of 36.43%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 17.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.45 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 11.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.97%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Judson Althoff sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.68, for a total transaction of $10,642,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 104,949 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,674,690.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,955 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $403.96, for a total transaction of $8,868,941.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 159,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $64,538,265.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Judson Althoff sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $425.68, for a total transaction of $10,642,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 104,949 shares in the company, valued at $44,674,690.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Microsoft

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new stake in Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth $58,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 1,290.0% during the first quarter. Richardson Capital Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. PayPay Securities Corp increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 23.7% in the fourth quarter. PayPay Securities Corp now owns 188 shares of the software giant's stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Bellevue Group AG boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 47.5% during the 1st quarter. Bellevue Group AG now owns 180 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently 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.