Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Sold by Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC

Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC lowered its stake in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,904 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 67 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up approximately 2.8% of Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $5,439,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 53.8% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Avondale Wealth Management lifted its position in Microsoft by 144.4% during the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Microsoft in the third quarter valued at about $62,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at $141,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Microsoft Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $367.78 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.73 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $389.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $413.21. Microsoft Co. has a 52-week low of $344.79 and a 52-week high of $468.35. 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 (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.08. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.43% and a return on equity of 33.36%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.93 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid 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 0.90%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MSFT. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Microsoft from $530.00 to $472.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $520.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Microsoft from $515.00 to $500.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $499.97.

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.