Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Stock Sale Revealed by Rep. Michael A. Rulli

Representative Michael A. Rulli (Republican-Ohio) recently sold shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). In a filing disclosed on October 2nd, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Microsoft stock on September 28th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “MERRILL LYNCH SIMPLE MANAGED ACCOUNT” account.

Representative Michael A. Rulli also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) on 9/3/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) on 9/3/2026.
• Sold $50,001 – $100,000 in shares of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) on 8/24/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Allstate (NYSE:ALL) on 8/12/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Equinix (NASDAQ:EQIX) on 8/7/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Crown Castle (NYSE:CCI) on 8/6/2026.

Microsoft Price Performance

NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $525.18 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.23. The company has a 50-day moving average of $492.81 and a 200-day moving average of $431.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $349.20 and a 52 week high of $553.72. The company has a market capitalization of $3.90 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.24, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.10.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.65 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.83%.

Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Melius Research upgraded Microsoft from Hold to Strong Buy/Buy and set a $665 price target, implying substantial upside from recent levels. The firm considers Microsoft the “adults in charge” of AI, arguing that rising concerns over AI safety, security and governance could increase demand for Azure, Copilot and Microsoft’s enterprise security products. Melius upgrade and price target
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is benefiting from a broader software-sector rebound. Commentary citing third-quarter performance noted that Microsoft rose strongly alongside Salesforce, reinforcing investor confidence that software demand and AI monetization are recovering. Software sector rebound
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s Copilot ecosystem continues to expand, with reports pointing to 30 million paid seats. A new Wood Mackenzie connector also brings proprietary energy intelligence directly into Microsoft Copilot, supporting the case for broader enterprise adoption. Copilot growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft and Meta are reportedly steering employees away from Anthropic’s Claude toward their own AI tools. Microsoft may reduce planned internal spending on Claude, potentially lowering costs, although the move also highlights competition and uncertainty in the AI model market. Microsoft reduces internal Claude use
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon hired longtime Microsoft AI executive Pedram Rezaei, a loss of leadership talent as rivals accelerate their own coding and workplace AI products. Amazon hires Microsoft AI executive
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain focused on Microsoft’s large AI infrastructure requirements, data-center environmental concerns and questions about converting a sizable backlog into revenue and cash flow. These issues could limit near-term upside if AI spending outpaces monetization.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total transaction of $2,388,068.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,188,276.96. This trade represents a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total value of $43,388,826.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 143,009 shares of company stock worth $71,420,699 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 19.3% in the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 40,886 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $20,970,000 after purchasing an additional 6,602 shares during the period. Box Hill Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Box Hill Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,409 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,261,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 3rd quarter valued at about $228,000. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 2.2% during the third quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 21,586 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $11,071,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares during the period. Finally, Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Microsoft by 3.7% in the third quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 969,392 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $497,201,000 after purchasing an additional 34,656 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MSFT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, September 28th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Monday. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $578.73.

About Representative Rulli

Michael Rulli (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Ohio’s 6th Congressional District. He assumed office on June 25, 2024. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Rulli (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Ohio’s 6th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Michael Rulli graduated from Poland Seminary High School. He earned a degree from Emerson College. Rulli’s career experience includes working as the director of operations with Rulli Bros. Markets.

Microsoft Company Profile

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices, gaming products and business solutions. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the company is best known for the Windows operating system and Microsoft Office productivity software. Microsoft is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, and serves consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.

Microsoft’s productivity and business offerings include Microsoft 365 applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, along with collaboration tools including Teams.