Microsoft (MSFT) Set to Announce Earnings on Tuesday

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) is scheduled to be issuing its quarterly earnings data after the market closes on Tuesday, January 30th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $2.75 per share for the quarter. Individual interested in listening to the company's earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 24th. The software giant reported $2.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.34. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.31% and a return on equity of 38.79%. The business had revenue of $56.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $54.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.35 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect Microsoft to post $11 EPS for the current fiscal year and $13 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $396.51 on Tuesday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $376.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $348.04. The company has a market capitalization of $2.95 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Microsoft has a 1-year low of $230.90 and a 1-year high of $400.62.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 15th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 14th. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. HSBC raised Microsoft from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $347.00 to $413.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $390.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, November 24th. Argus lifted their price objective on Microsoft from $390.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 5th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $455.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday, January 12th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $430.00 to $432.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-seven have assigned 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 $403.16.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 24,681 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.00, for a total transaction of $9,107,289.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 183,761 shares of the company's stock, valued at $67,807,809. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 112,158.6% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 150,187,424 shares of the software giant's stock worth $36,017,948,000 after purchasing an additional 150,053,637 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at $20,700,525,000. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 35,465.9% during the 1st quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 20,611,140 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $66,852,000 after acquiring an additional 20,553,188 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 119,417,954 shares of the software giant's stock worth $28,638,815,000 after buying an additional 14,652,150 shares during the period. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its position in Microsoft by 348.6% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 11,998,927 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $894,426,000 after purchasing an additional 9,324,182 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.20% of the company's stock.

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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