Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Sold by Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC lessened its holdings in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 42.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,350 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 5,400 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up about 0.8% of Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $3,098,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. PYA Waltman Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. PYA Waltman Capital LLC now owns 4,627 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,950,000 after purchasing an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 64,567 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $27,215,000 after acquiring an additional 331 shares during the period. Grove Street Fiduciary LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth about $1,297,000. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 60,772 shares of the software giant's stock worth $25,615,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the period. Finally, Compass Capital Corp MA ADV purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth about $8,532,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT traded up $4.55 during trading on Friday, hitting $391.85. The stock had a trading volume of 18,959,931 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,169,050. Microsoft Co. has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $468.35. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $384.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $411.41. 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 $2.91 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00.

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 the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.93 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $500.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Microsoft from $530.00 to $472.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $500.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $520.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $493.13.

Microsoft Company Profile

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.