Aljian Capital Management LLC Has $15.76 Million Stock Holdings in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Aljian Capital Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 37,386 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,261 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises 3.4% of Aljian Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Aljian Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $15,758,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MSFT. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC grew its stake 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 position in Microsoft by 144.4% in the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Microsoft during the 3rd quarter valued at $62,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new position in Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at about $141,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft Price Performance

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $387.81 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $391.38 and its 200 day moving average is $414.11. Microsoft Co. has a fifty-two week low of $344.79 and a fifty-two week high of $468.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.35. The company has a market capitalization of $2.88 trillion, a PE ratio of 31.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.93 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is 26.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on MSFT. Westpark Capital began coverage on Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Microsoft in a report on Thursday, March 20th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $470.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Microsoft from $515.00 to $500.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $509.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $503.86.

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.