Rep. David Taylor Unloads Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares

Key Points

• Rep. David Taylor sold Microsoft shares valued between $1,001 and $15,000 on August 26, following a larger Microsoft sale of $15,001–$50,000 on August 11. He also sold Amgen and Vertex shares while purchasing positions in Broadcom, Fifth Third Bancorp, and American Electric Power.
• Microsoft reported a strong latest quarter, with $4.74 in adjusted earnings per share and $90.01 billion in revenue, exceeding analyst expectations; revenue rose 17.7% year over year. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $564.27.
• Microsoft continues to benefit from optimism around Azure, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, though elevated AI capital spending could pressure cash flow. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share, equivalent to a 0.7% yield.

Representative David Taylor (Republican-Ohio) recently sold shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). In a filing disclosed on September 05th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Microsoft stock on August 26th. The trade occurred in the Representative's "DAVID TAYLOR TRUST > SCHWAB JOINT BROKERAGE #1 (HOME GROWN)" account.

Representative David Taylor also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Amgen NASDAQ: AMGN on 8/26/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals NASDAQ: VRTX on 8/26/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Fifth Third Bancorp NASDAQ: FITB on 8/26/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Broadcom NASDAQ: AVGO on 8/26/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of American Electric Power NASDAQ: AEP on 8/26/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Installed Building Products NYSE: IBP on 8/14/2026.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Microsoft NASDAQ: MSFT on 8/11/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Procter & Gamble NYSE: PG on 8/11/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Alphabet NASDAQ: GOOGL on 8/11/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Broadcom NASDAQ: AVGO on 7/24/2026.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $499.70 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. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $349.20 and a 1-year high of $553.72. The company's fifty day moving average is $447.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $416.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.71 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.11.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. Microsoft's revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.65 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.59 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is 20.27%.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of Microsoft 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,188,276.96. The trade was a 10.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total value of $43,388,826.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 105,835 shares of company stock valued at $52,468,575. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s Azure business reportedly crossed a significant revenue milestone, while its large backlog points to continued demand for cloud and AI services. This is strengthening the long-term bull case and fueling speculation that the stock could approach $600. Microsoft Stock Is Building a Trillion-Dollar AI Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft and Nvidia are described as major beneficiaries of a potential $7 trillion AI infrastructure buildout. Rising data-center construction and demand for computing capacity could support sustained growth across Azure, software, and AI products. Nvidia, Microsoft at Center of $7 Trillion AI Boom
• Positive Sentiment: Investment commentary continues to favor Microsoft as a long-term holding because of its diversified software ecosystem, recurring revenue, cloud position, and favorable earnings outlook. Its latest reported quarter also showed revenue growth and earnings well above expectations. Why Microsoft Is a Top Stock for the Long-Term
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s partnerships and investments in Gulf data-center infrastructure highlight its efforts to expand global AI capacity. Separately, company representatives said AI could create new employment opportunities rather than only eliminate jobs, supporting broader adoption narratives. Microsoft and Schneider Electric Bet Big on the Gulf
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are focused on a key cash-flow line item, likely reflecting the impact of elevated AI-related capital expenditures. Strong investment may expand future growth but could constrain free cash flow and delay a breakout to a new high. Microsoft Is Close to a New All-Time High
• Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox, Project Helix, could face a pricing challenge if advanced hardware pushes the console toward $1,000. A high price could limit adoption and pressure the gaming business, although Microsoft is considering affordability measures. Microsoft Has a $1,000 Problem With Its Next Xbox
• Negative Sentiment: Recent Outlook and Exchange Online outages, alongside a separate ChatGPT Work disruption, raise concerns about reliability for Microsoft’s productivity and cloud services. The incidents have not materially undermined reported results but remain a reputational and retention risk. Microsoft’s Outlook and OpenAI’s ChatGPT Work Both Broke the Same Day

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 4.0% in the second quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 229,490 shares of the software giant's stock worth $85,604,000 after acquiring an additional 8,773 shares in the last quarter. Markel Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% during the first quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 537,630 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $199,014,000 after acquiring an additional 1,950 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 8.4% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,921,677 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $2,562,197,000 after acquiring an additional 537,634 shares in the last quarter. Taylor Securities Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,616,000. Finally, Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 12,492 shares of the software giant's stock worth $6,041,000 after purchasing an additional 1,698 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSFT has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group set a $525.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating and set a $510.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and set a $540.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Phillip Securities lowered Microsoft from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Forty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $564.27.

About Representative Taylor

David Taylor (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Ohio's 2nd Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Taylor (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Ohio's 2nd Congressional District. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024. David Taylor graduated from Amelia High School. Taylor earned degrees from Miami University (Ohio) and the University of Dayton School of Law. Taylor's career experience includes working as an attorney and as a businessman at Sardinia Ready Mix, Inc.

About Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft develops, licenses and supports a broad range of software products, services and devices for consumers, enterprises and governments worldwide. Its operations span personal computing, productivity software, cloud infrastructure, enterprise applications, developer tools and gaming.

Microsoft's product portfolio includes the Windows operating system and the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity and collaboration tools (Office apps, Outlook, Teams).

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