Blue Square Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Rating) by 13.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,886 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,677 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for approximately 2.8% of Blue Square Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Blue Square Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $3,356,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Shore Point Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Tobam grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 15,400.0% during the 1st quarter. Tobam now owns 155 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Artemis Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the first quarter worth $68,000. Castle Financial & Retirement Planning Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth $80,000. Finally, Evolution Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at $84,000. 69.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Microsoft Stock Performance
Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $291.91 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Microsoft Co. has a 12-month low of $241.51 and a 12-month high of $349.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.18 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.93. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $264.33 and a 200 day moving average of $279.55.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 26th. The software giant reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.29 by ($0.06). Microsoft had a return on equity of 43.31% and a net margin of 36.69%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.17 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate 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 issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 17th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.73%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research firms have weighed in on MSFT. Wolfe Research lowered their price target on Microsoft from $320.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 29th. Credit Suisse Group set a $400.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Tuesday, July 26th. Fundamental Research reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $280.50 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, August 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $350.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Microsoft from $325.00 to $320.00 in a research note on Monday, June 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-one have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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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