Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Given New $600.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by equities researchers at UBS Group from $500.00 to $600.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the software giant's stock. UBS Group's price objective suggests a potential upside of 18.82% from the stock's current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Microsoft from $465.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $581.00 target price (up previously from $512.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Microsoft from $475.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $515.00 target price on Microsoft and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $548.36.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT traded down $0.31 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $504.96. The stock had a trading volume of 9,259,803 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,532,727. Microsoft has a 1 year low of $344.79 and a 1 year high of $514.64. The company has a market capitalization of $3.75 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $477.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $428.61.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The software giant reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $70.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.54 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.79% and a return on equity of 32.74%. Microsoft'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 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Microsoft will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 13,243 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.01, for a total value of $5,985,968.43. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,481,631. The trade was a 23.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $463.00, for a total value of $1,389,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 43,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,339,590. This trade represents a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 135,743 shares of company stock valued at $60,224,683 in the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Microsoft

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Newton One Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 66.7% in 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. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Bulwark Capital Corp acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Westend Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 386.7% in the second quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the software giant's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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