EQ Wealth Advisors LLC Takes Position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 4,325 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,823,000. Microsoft accounts for about 1.6% of EQ Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MSFT. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 53.8% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Avondale Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 144.4% in the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the third quarter worth $62,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new position in Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at $141,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

MSFT stock opened at $378.80 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.82 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.50, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.92. Microsoft Co. has a twelve month low of $376.91 and a twelve month high of $468.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $405.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $419.06.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business posted $2.93 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on MSFT shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $509.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $500.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Scotiabank started coverage on Microsoft in a report on Thursday, March 20th. They set a “sector outperform” rating and a $470.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com cut Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, DA Davidson raised shares of Microsoft from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $425.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.