Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) is Quilter Plc's Largest Position

Quilter Plc increased its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,025,954 shares of the software giant's stock after purchasing an additional 37,256 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for approximately 8.5% of Quilter Plc's investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Quilter Plc's holdings in Microsoft were worth $432,440,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MSFT. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed 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. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $509.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $500.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Scotiabank assumed coverage on Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. They issued a "sector outperform" rating and a $470.00 price target on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $505.41.

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MSFT traded up $7.10 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $388.45. 23,826,330 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 21,250,515. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. Microsoft Co. has a 1-year low of $344.79 and a 1-year high of $468.35. The company has a 50-day moving average of $391.89 and a 200 day moving average of $414.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.89 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.93 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. Microsoft's payout ratio is currently 26.73%.

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.