Rep. Kevin Hern Sells Off Shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Key Points

• Rep. Kevin Hern sold $15,001–$50,000 of Microsoft shares on August 21 through the Hern Family Foundation account, as part of a broader series of sales across multiple holdings.
• Microsoft reported strong quarterly results, with earnings and revenue exceeding estimates and revenue rising 17.7% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share, while shares recently traded around $496.82.
• Analysts maintain a generally bullish view, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $562.49 price target, supported by expected Azure and AI growth. However, insider selling and concerns over roughly $116 billion in annual capital spending remain key risks.

Representative Kevin Hern (Republican-Oklahoma) recently sold shares of Microsoft Corporation NASDAQ: MSFT. In a filing disclosed on September 01st, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $15,001 and $50,000 in Microsoft stock on August 21st. The trade occurred in the Representative's "HERN FAMILY FOUNDATION" account.

Representative Kevin Hern also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies NYSE: MRSH on 8/24/2026.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Medtronic NYSE: MDT on 8/24/2026.
• Sold $50,001 - $100,000 in shares of Home Depot NYSE: HD on 8/24/2026.
• Sold $50,001 - $100,000 in shares of Procter & Gamble NYSE: PG on 8/24/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Lowe's Companies NYSE: LOW on 8/24/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Veralto NYSE: VLTO on 8/21/2026.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Honeywell Aerospace NASDAQ: HONA on 8/19/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Colgate-Palmolive NYSE: CL on 8/19/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Biogen NASDAQ: BIIB on 8/18/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV NYSE: BUD on 8/18/2026.

Microsoft Stock Down 0.8%

MSFT stock opened at $496.82 on Thursday. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $553.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market cap of $3.69 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.66, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a 50 day moving average of $438.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $414.45.

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

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.27%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. WFA Asset Management Corp raised its stake in Microsoft by 27.0% during the first quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 1,016 shares of the software giant's stock worth $427,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 12,658 shares of the software giant's stock worth $5,658,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 410.4% in the 3rd quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 2,659 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,144,000 after purchasing an additional 2,138 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 2,374 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 23,097 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $9,735,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft will begin disclosing quarterly Azure revenue in fiscal 2027 and consolidate its reporting structure from three segments to two. The added transparency should allow investors to compare Azure more directly with Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud and could highlight the scale of AI-driven demand. Microsoft to reveal Azure cloud sales in financial reporting shift
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its Microsoft price target to $600 from $500, citing accelerating Azure growth, improving AI efficiency and more than 30 million paid Microsoft 365 Copilot seats. The bullish view reinforces expectations that Microsoft can convert AI infrastructure spending into higher revenue and earnings. Microsoft's AI strategy accelerates cloud growth and efficiency: analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is expanding its AI ecosystem through a 20-year power agreement supporting a planned West Texas data center, a HUMAIN partnership targeting up to one million enterprise users in the Middle East and Africa, and new Microsoft 365 Copilot integrations. These agreements support long-term cloud, infrastructure and productivity growth, although near-term profitability depends on execution. Microsoft Signed a 20-Year AI Power Deal With Chevron
• Neutral Sentiment: An EU court rejected Opera’s challenge to Microsoft Edge’s exemption from certain Digital Markets Act obligations. The ruling reduces an immediate regulatory burden for Edge, but its direct financial effect is likely limited. EU court rejects Opera challenge against Microsoft's Edge exemption
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 MSFT shares worth approximately $43.4 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Although scheduled sales generally do not signal a change in business outlook, the transaction reduced his position by 15.09%; broader insider activity has also consisted entirely of sales over the past six months. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Form 4 filing
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about Microsoft’s roughly $116 billion in annual property and equipment spending. The AI buildout could drive substantial growth, but depreciation, power constraints and uncertain returns may pressure margins if demand fails to keep pace. Big Tech Spent Over $1 Trillion on AI
• Negative Sentiment: Additional pressure came from reports of a controversial Windows 11 feature, continuing concerns about a Microsoft 365 outage, and criticism surrounding 3,200 Xbox job cuts. These issues may weigh on user sentiment and highlight risks in Microsoft’s consumer and gaming businesses. Xbox layoffs

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In related news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,007,086.83. This trade represents a 9.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 108,335 shares of company stock worth $53,499,700 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MSFT. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $575.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Phillip Securities downgraded shares of Microsoft from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Microsoft from $500.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $545.00 to $512.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $640.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Forty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $562.49.

About Representative Hern

Kevin Hern (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District. He assumed office on November 13, 2018. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Hern (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election. Kevin Hern went into business as a McDonald's franchisee in 1999. He acquired 10 McDonald's franchises by 2012. He served on the McDonald's National Leadership Team for 13 years, including the tax policy team, the insurance corporation, and as chairman of the economics team. From 2011 to 2015, he was chairman of the finance committee of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.

Microsoft Company Profile

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).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source