Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Trading Up 0.6% - What's Next?

Shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) traded up 0.6% on Monday . The company traded as high as $458.66 and last traded at $456.86. 6,145,851 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 21,506,992 shares. The stock had previously closed at $454.27.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSFT has been the topic of several research reports. KeyCorp restated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Microsoft from $480.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-one have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $513.13.

Microsoft Stock Down 1.0%

The company has a market capitalization of $3.35 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $401.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $413.59.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The software giant reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $70.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.54 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.94 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.66%.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 21,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.77, for a total value of $9,756,055.00. Following the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Amy Coleman sold 13,243 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.01, for a total transaction of $5,985,968.43. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,100 shares in the company, valued at $19,481,631. The trade was a 23.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 131,743 shares of company stock valued at $58,375,673. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Microsoft

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Newton One Investments LLC grew its stake in Microsoft by 66.7% in the 1st quarter. Newton One Investments LLC now owns 75 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its position in Microsoft by 53.8% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the software giant's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company's stock.

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.