Parthenon LLC Cuts Stock Position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Parthenon LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 246,515 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 4,479 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for approximately 12.6% of Parthenon LLC's holdings, making the stock its biggest position. Parthenon LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $103,906,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Microsoft Trading Up 1.2 %

NASDAQ MSFT traded up $4.55 on Friday, hitting $391.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 18,959,931 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,169,050. The firm has a market cap of $2.91 trillion, a PE ratio of 31.55, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00. The company's 50-day moving average is $384.93 and its 200 day moving average is $411.34. 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.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 prior year, the firm posted $2.93 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. Microsoft's payout ratio is 26.73%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on MSFT. Westpark Capital initiated coverage on Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Barclays reduced their target price on Microsoft from $475.00 to $430.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Microsoft from $500.00 to $450.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $475.00 price target (down from $500.00) on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price on Microsoft from $510.00 to $500.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $493.89.

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.