Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Sold by Parametrica Management Ltd

Parametrica Management Ltd decreased its position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 79.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,731 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 10,819 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises 1.4% of Parametrica Management Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Parametrica Management Ltd's holdings in Microsoft were worth $1,175,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc increased its holdings in Microsoft by 169.2% in the second quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 70 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth $75,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 10.1% in the third quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 338 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $145,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MayTech Global Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth $200,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Up 1.0 %

Microsoft stock traded up $4.45 during trading on Friday, reaching $429.03. 26,146,013 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,227,436. Microsoft Co. has a 52-week low of $385.58 and a 52-week high of $468.35. The firm has a market cap of $3.19 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.40, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.30. The company's 50-day moving average is $429.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $426.37.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The software giant reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $65.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $64.57 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 34.56% and a net margin of 35.61%. The company's revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.99 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 12.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. Microsoft's payout ratio is 27.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In related news, CMO Takeshi Numoto sold 1,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $414.72, for a total value of $414,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 57,511 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,850,961.92. This trade represents a 1.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Judson Althoff sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 117,294 shares of the company's stock, valued at $48,911,598. This trade represents a 17.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 41,200 shares of company stock valued at $17,383,892 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and set a $600.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company restated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, October 18th. UBS Group increased their target price on Microsoft from $500.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Microsoft from $470.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Friday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $509.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $512.93.

Microsoft 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.