Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Acquired by Virtu Financial LLC

Virtu Financial LLC raised its position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 363.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 88,089 shares of the software giant's stock after purchasing an additional 69,099 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up about 2.0% of Virtu Financial LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Virtu Financial LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $37,129,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Garland Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth $285,000. ZEGA Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at about $14,448,000. von Borstel & Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. von Borstel & Associates Inc. now owns 712 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $300,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the fourth quarter valued at about $6,763,000. Finally, Washington Trust Bank boosted its position in Microsoft by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Bank now owns 112,277 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $47,325,000 after purchasing an additional 2,859 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ MSFT traded up $0.09 during trading on Friday, reaching $458.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 34,758,620 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,637,595. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.41 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.99. Microsoft Co. has a 12 month low of $344.79 and a 12 month high of $468.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $407.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $414.89.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The software giant reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.22 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $70.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $68.54 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 33.36% and a net margin of 35.43%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.94 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is 25.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $433.17, for a total transaction of $2,599,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 471,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $204,038,664.12. This represents a 1.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.77, for a total transaction of $9,756,055.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 134,888 shares in the company, valued at $61,208,127.76. This represents a 13.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 131,743 shares of company stock worth $58,375,673 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on MSFT shares. Mizuho boosted their price target on Microsoft from $475.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $480.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Westpark Capital reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $480.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of Microsoft from $502.00 to $512.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-one have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $513.13.

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.