Equita Financial Network Inc. Purchases 107 Shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Equita Financial Network Inc. increased its position in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,265 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Equita Financial Network Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $955,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc grew its position in Microsoft by 35.7% in the third quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 95 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. IFS Advisors LLC grew its position in Microsoft by 53.8% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Avondale Wealth Management grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Microsoft in the third quarter valued at $62,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft in the fourth quarter valued at $141,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft Trading Up 1.1 %

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $391.26 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.91 trillion, a P/E ratio of 31.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $408.82 and its 200-day moving average is $419.67. Microsoft Co. has a one year low of $376.91 and a one year high of $468.35.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.08. Microsoft had a return on equity of 33.36% and a net margin of 35.43%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.93 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Microsoft from $515.00 to $475.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Scotiabank assumed coverage on Microsoft in a research report on Thursday. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $470.00 price target on the stock. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $550.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on Microsoft from $510.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $510.59.

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.