MicroStrategy (NASDAQ:MSTR) Shares Down 2% After Insider Selling

Shares of MicroStrategy Incorporated (NASDAQ:MSTR) traded down 2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $325.82 and last traded at $335.01. 6,450,641 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 17,897,928 shares. The stock had previously closed at $341.81.

Specifically, Director Leslie J. Rechan sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.90, for a total value of $5,038,500.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,970 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,669,423. This represents a 75.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew Kang sold 2,185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.26, for a total transaction of $719,433.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 15,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,009,690.90. This trade represents a 12.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In related news, EVP Wei-Ming Shao sold 2,051 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.26, for a total value of $675,312.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,489,168.22. This represents a 16.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSTR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target on MicroStrategy from $510.00 to $409.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of MicroStrategy from $613.00 to $619.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods initiated coverage on shares of MicroStrategy in a report on Friday, February 7th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $560.00 price target for the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt began coverage on shares of MicroStrategy in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of MicroStrategy from $515.00 to $421.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $536.90.

MicroStrategy Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $74.48 billion, a PE ratio of -51.38 and a beta of 3.36. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $315.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $292.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

MicroStrategy (NASDAQ:MSTR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The software maker reported ($3.20) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.13) by ($3.07). MicroStrategy had a negative return on equity of 19.01% and a negative net margin of 251.73%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MicroStrategy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its holdings in MicroStrategy by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 8,991 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $2,604,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Family Management Corp increased its position in shares of MicroStrategy by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Family Management Corp now owns 1,370 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $397,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC raised its stake in shares of MicroStrategy by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 1,120 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Oder Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MicroStrategy by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Oder Investment Management LLC now owns 1,268 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $367,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in MicroStrategy by 38.2% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 141 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. 59.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MicroStrategy Company Profile

MicroStrategy Incorporated provides artificial intelligence-powered enterprise analytics software and services in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and internationally. It offers MicroStrategy ONE, which provides non-technical users with the ability to directly access novel and actionable insights for decision-making; and MicroStrategy Cloud for Government service, which offers always-on threat monitoring that meets the rigorous technical and regulatory needs of governments and financial institutions.