Freedom Day Solutions LLC Decreases Stock Position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Freedom Day Solutions LLC lowered its position in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 12.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 16,351 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 2,418 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for 2.1% of Freedom Day Solutions LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Freedom Day Solutions LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $6,892,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MSFT. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. IFS Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 53.8% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Avondale Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 144.4% during the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Microsoft during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new position in Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth approximately $141,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $480.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Microsoft from $510.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Westpark Capital began coverage on Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $480.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $494.80.

Microsoft Stock Performance

MSFT stock opened at $374.58 on Thursday. Microsoft Co. has a 1-year low of $344.79 and a 1-year high of $468.35. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $385.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $411.70. The company has a market capitalization of $2.78 trillion, a P/E ratio of 30.16, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.34.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The software giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, beating 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. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Microsoft Co. will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.73%.

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.