Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. Sells 22,182 Shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. cut its stake in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 352,478 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 22,182 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 5.1% of Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $148,570,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Alterna Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Alterna Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,661 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,543,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,244 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,632,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Sunesis Advisors LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Sunesis Advisors LLC now owns 1,082 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 246,844 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $104,045,000 after purchasing an additional 876 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citadel Investment Advisory Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Citadel Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 15,846 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $6,679,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Down 3.0 %

Microsoft stock opened at $378.80 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $405.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $418.97. The stock has a market cap of $2.82 trillion, a PE ratio of 30.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.92. Microsoft Co. has a 1-year low of $376.91 and a 1-year high of $468.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.34.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 in the previous year, the business earned $2.93 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 26.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 23rd. DA Davidson raised shares of Microsoft from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $425.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $509.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Microsoft from $510.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.