Polaris Capital Management LLC Cuts Stake in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Polaris Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 94,826 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 6,800 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises about 1.9% of Polaris Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Polaris Capital Management LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $39,969,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 53.8% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the software giant's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Avondale Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 144.4% during the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth $141,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of MSFT stock traded up $4.63 on Monday, reaching $393.08. 1,955,637 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 21,177,789. Microsoft Co. has a one year low of $344.79 and a one year high of $468.35. The company has a market cap of $2.92 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.48, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a 50-day moving average of $391.89 and a 200-day moving average of $414.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.34.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 period last year, the firm earned $2.93 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSFT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $475.00 price objective (down from $500.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $520.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, January 27th. Scotiabank started coverage on Microsoft in a report on Thursday, March 20th. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $470.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price target on Microsoft from $525.00 to $510.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Westpark Capital began coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $504.90.

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.