Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,158 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for 0.9% of Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $5,546,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc raised its holdings in Microsoft by 35.7% in the 3rd quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 95 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. IFS Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Microsoft by 53.8% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth about $45,000. Avondale Wealth Management raised its holdings in Microsoft by 144.4% in the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 3rd quarter worth about $62,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $380.45 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.35. Microsoft Co. has a one year low of $376.91 and a one year high of $468.35. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $414.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $421.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.83 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.63, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.92.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 in the previous year, the business earned $2.93 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on MSFT shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Microsoft from $540.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $425.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Microsoft from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. UBS Group decreased their price target on Microsoft from $525.00 to $510.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $550.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $509.54.

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.