Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Stake Increased by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,809,058 shares of the software giant's stock after purchasing an additional 43,454 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for 7.0% of Xponance Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Xponance Inc.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $762,518,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. now owns 3,137 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,322,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at about $265,917,000. Evoke Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 107,674 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $45,385,000 after acquiring an additional 1,905 shares in the last quarter. Entrewealth LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at $381,000. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 24.5% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 38,478 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $16,218,000 after buying an additional 7,562 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of MSFT stock traded up $10.51 on Tuesday, hitting $460.69. 20,932,633 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 21,585,267. The firm's 50 day moving average is $403.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $414.03. Microsoft Co. has a one year low of $344.79 and a one year high of $468.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.42 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The software giant reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.24. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.43% and a return on equity of 33.36%. The firm had revenue of $70.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.94 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Microsoft's payout ratio is presently 25.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $475.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Microsoft from $472.00 to $482.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Microsoft from $480.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-one have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $513.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In related news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 75,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $436.05, for a total value of $32,703,750.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 476,999 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,995,413.95. This trade represents a 13.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Amy Coleman sold 13,243 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.01, for a total value of $5,985,968.43. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,481,631. This represents a 23.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 131,743 shares of company stock valued at $58,375,673 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

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.