Sheets Smith Wealth Management lessened its holdings in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Rating) by 1.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 27,174 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 386 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for 1.2% of Sheets Smith Wealth Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Sheets Smith Wealth Management’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $8,378,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MSFT. Shore Point Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Tobam boosted its position in Microsoft by 15,400.0% during the first quarter. Tobam now owns 155 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Artemis Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft in the first quarter worth about $68,000. Castle Financial & Retirement Planning Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $80,000. Finally, Evolution Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $84,000. 69.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Microsoft Price Performance
MSFT opened at $291.91 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $264.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $279.55. The firm has a market cap of $2.18 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.28, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.93. Microsoft Co. has a 1 year low of $241.51 and a 1 year high of $349.67.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 26th. The software giant reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by ($0.06). Microsoft had a net margin of 36.69% and a return on equity of 43.31%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.17 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 10.14 earnings per share for the current year.
Microsoft Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 17th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.73%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup dropped their target price on Microsoft from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 27th. Redburn Partners started coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, June 29th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $370.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Microsoft from $372.00 to $354.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 12th. Wolfe Research cut their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $320.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 29th. Finally, Itau BBA Securities initiated coverage on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, July 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $287.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-one have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $334.31.
Microsoft Company Profile
Microsoft Corporation develops, licenses, and supports software, services, devices, and solutions worldwide. Its Productivity and Business Processes segment offers Office, Exchange, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Office 365 Security and Compliance, and Skype for Business, as well as related Client Access Licenses (CAL); Skype, Outlook.com, OneDrive, and LinkedIn; and Dynamics 365, a set of cloud-based and on-premises business solutions for organizations and enterprise divisions.
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