Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Trading 0.3% Higher

Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) shares rose 0.3% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $408.65 and last traded at $402.84. Approximately 3,724,749 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 20,588,186 shares. The stock had previously closed at $401.70.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen raised their target price on Microsoft from $470.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Microsoft from $465.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. New Street Research started coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, June 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $570.00 price target on the stock. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $485.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Microsoft from $450.00 to $480.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $494.72.

Microsoft Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $3.15 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $425.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $423.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.27.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The software giant reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $64.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $64.38 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.96% and a return on equity of 35.95%. Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.69 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 13.04 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In related news, CFO Amy Hood sold 38,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $410.55, for a total value of $15,600,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 496,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $203,784,292.95. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 78,353 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $408.63, for a total value of $32,017,386.39. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 864,327 shares in the company, valued at approximately $353,189,942.01. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Amy Hood sold 38,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.55, for a total transaction of $15,600,900.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 496,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $203,784,292.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 130,751 shares of company stock valued at $53,628,156 in the last 90 days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Microsoft by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 24,328 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $10,873,000 after acquiring an additional 1,431 shares in the last quarter. SS&H Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 3.5% in the second quarter. SS&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 41,022 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $18,335,000 after purchasing an additional 1,370 shares in the last quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter valued at approximately $955,000. Brightwater Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter worth $14,238,000. Finally, Heritage Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at $18,878,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Company 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.