Clarus Group Inc. Has $7.60 Million Position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Clarus Group Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 18,033 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,842 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises about 2.7% of Clarus Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Clarus Group Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $7,601,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 53.8% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Avondale Wealth Management increased its position in Microsoft by 144.4% during the 4th 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 period. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new position in Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $141,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $381.35 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $392.37 and its 200 day moving average is $414.81. Microsoft Co. has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $468.35. The stock has a market cap of $2.83 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.70, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted 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 quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.93 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 26.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, January 24th. Scotiabank started coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $470.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Westpark Capital assumed coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $505.41.

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.