Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Down 2.8% – Here’s Why

Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s stock price traded down 2.8% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $369.35 and last traded at $371.50. 9,742,797 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 53% from the average session volume of 20,548,870 shares. The stock had previously closed at $382.14.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on MSFT. Mizuho dropped their price target on Microsoft from $510.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $550.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $500.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Microsoft from $540.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Tigress Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $550.00 to $595.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $508.86.

Microsoft Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.68 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a fifty day moving average of $399.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $417.40. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.93 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 EPS for the current 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 issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.73%.

Institutional Trading of Microsoft

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Exeter Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.7% during the first quarter. Exeter Financial LLC now owns 19,847 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $7,450,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Webster Bank N. A. grew its position in Microsoft by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 74,142 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $27,832,000 after purchasing an additional 2,201 shares in the last quarter. Sage Capital Advisors llc raised its stake in Microsoft by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Sage Capital Advisors llc now owns 43,940 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $16,494,000 after purchasing an additional 1,802 shares during the period. Moody National Bank Trust Division lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% in the first quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 84,096 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $31,569,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Agate Pass Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Microsoft by 2.1% in the first quarter. Agate Pass Investment Management LLC now owns 24,317 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $9,128,000 after buying an additional 511 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Microsoft

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.