Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Position Reduced by Wedgewood Investors Inc. PA

Wedgewood Investors Inc. PA reduced its position in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,653 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 366 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up about 6.3% of Wedgewood Investors Inc. PA’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Wedgewood Investors Inc. PA’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $5,333,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Microsoft by 53.8% during the 4th 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 period. Avondale Wealth Management grew its position 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. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Microsoft in the third quarter worth about $62,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new stake in Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $141,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of MSFT opened at $367.78 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a market cap of $2.73 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.61, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00. Microsoft Co. has a 12 month low of $344.79 and a 12 month high of $468.35. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $389.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $413.21.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 earnings per share 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $2.93 EPS. Analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is currently 26.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Microsoft from $515.00 to $475.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. StockNews.com cut Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Microsoft from $510.00 to $480.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Microsoft from $530.00 to $472.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, January 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $499.97.

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.