Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Acquired by Empirical Asset Management LLC

Empirical Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 256.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 433,798 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 312,051 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up about 5.3% of Empirical Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Empirical Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $182,846,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 35.7% during the third quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 95 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. IFS Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 53.8% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter valued at $45,000. Avondale Wealth Management grew its stake in Microsoft by 144.4% in the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 3rd quarter worth about $62,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Microsoft Trading Down 1.8 %

MSFT opened at $392.53 on Friday. Microsoft Co. has a 1-year low of $385.58 and a 1-year high of $468.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.92 trillion, a PE ratio of 31.60, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $421.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $422.79.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 earned $2.93 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.73%.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In related news, CMO Takeshi Numoto sold 2,500 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.41, for a total value of $1,118,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 49,352 shares in the company, valued at $22,080,578.32. This trade represents a 4.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 7,000 shares of company stock worth $3,070,340 over the last 90 days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSFT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $509.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $425.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Microsoft from $470.00 to $465.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Microsoft from $495.00 to $475.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $510.96.

Microsoft 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.