Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Given New $550.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $475.00 to $550.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the software giant's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price target indicates a potential upside of 29.29% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Bank of America reduced 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 Tuesday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Microsoft from $470.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on Microsoft from $502.00 to $512.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Wedbush increased their price target on Microsoft from $475.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $507.77.

Microsoft Price Performance

MSFT traded up $30.14 on Thursday, hitting $425.40. 58,840,495 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 21,314,052. 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 has a 12 month low of $344.79 and a 12 month high of $468.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.16 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.25, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a 50-day moving average of $383.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $410.91.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released 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. Microsoft had a return on equity of 33.36% and a net margin of 35.43%. The business had revenue of $70.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.54 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.94 earnings per share. Microsoft's revenue was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Microsoft will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Microsoft

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Newton One Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 66.7% during the 1st quarter. Newton One Investments LLC now owns 75 shares of the software giant's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 53.8% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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