Gagnon Securities LLC Boosts Stake in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Gagnon Securities LLC increased its stake in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 10.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 680 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Gagnon Securities LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $287,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brown Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth approximately $273,000. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 28,316 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $11,935,000 after acquiring an additional 843 shares during the last quarter. Trinity Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Trinity Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,146 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,326,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Custom Index Systems LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. Custom Index Systems LLC now owns 8,373 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $3,529,000 after purchasing an additional 1,111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at $5,626,000. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $395.16 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $407.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $419.53. The stock has a market cap of $2.94 trillion, a PE ratio of 31.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. Microsoft Co. has a 12 month low of $376.91 and a 12 month high of $468.35.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 last year, the company earned $2.93 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors 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 yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.73%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $470.00 price target for the company. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $520.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Loop Capital raised their price target on Microsoft from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $509.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $510.59.

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.