Sen. Shelley Moore Capito Sells Off Shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) recently sold shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). In a filing disclosed on January 06th, the Senator disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Microsoft stock on December 16th.

Senator Shelley Moore Capito also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) on 12/16/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) on 12/16/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Kellanova (NYSE:K) on 12/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) on 11/13/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) on 11/13/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX) on 11/13/2025.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) on 10/29/2025.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) on 10/29/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) on 10/24/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) on 10/22/2025.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $478.51 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.56 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.40. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $344.79 and a one year high of $555.45. The company’s 50-day moving average is $491.02 and its 200 day moving average is $503.98.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The software giant reported $4.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.48. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.71% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The business had revenue of $77.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $75.49 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.30 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is 25.89%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $491.52, for a total transaction of $6,266,880.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 129,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $63,577,620.48. This trade represents a 8.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 38,500 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $518.64, for a total value of $19,967,640.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 461,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $239,402,668.08. This represents a 7.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 54,100 shares of company stock valued at $27,598,872. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MSFT shares. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $650.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Baird R W upgraded Microsoft to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $650.00 to $625.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday, November 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $600.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $631.03.

Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major infrastructure win — Microsoft is working with the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (Midwest grid operator) to modernize the power grid so it can support large-scale AI loads, reinforcing Azure’s role in critical infrastructure and easing customer concerns about power availability for data centers. Microsoft works with major US electric grid operator to modernize the Midwest power system
• Positive Sentiment: Healthcare and grid AI narrative — reporting highlights Microsoft’s expanding AI work in healthcare and power grids, which supports the Azure AI revenue story and positions MSFT as a go-to provider for regulated, mission-critical AI deployments. Is Microsoft’s Expanding AI Role in Healthcare and Power Grids Reshaping Its Cloud Narrative for MSFT?
• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition to accelerate autonomous data engineering — Microsoft bought Seattle startup Osmos to strengthen data engineering and automated pipelines, a tuck-in that supports enterprise AI adoption and could speed Azure/Power Platform monetization. Microsoft acquires data analytics startup Osmos to fuel push into ‘autonomous data engineering’
• Positive Sentiment: Marketplace distribution and partner ecosystem — Agentic AI platform Profitmind is now listed in the Microsoft Marketplace, expanding commercial channels and partner-led adoption for retail AI solutions on Microsoft technology. Profitmind Now Available in the Microsoft Marketplace
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market tailwind — major U.S. indexes set records on tech-led gains, helping lift MSFT alongside other megacaps rather than as a company-specific catalyst. How major US stock indexes fared Tuesday, 1/6/2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate persists — coverage notes a recent share-price pullback and conflicting fair-value views, reminding investors that upside is being balanced against a relatively rich multiple and differing analyst targets. Assessing Microsoft (MSFT) Valuation After Recent Share Price Pullback And Conflicting Fair Value Views
• Negative Sentiment: Talent movement — Meta hired a former Microsoft legal executive as CLO, a small signal of executive flow out of Microsoft; such departures can raise questions about retention but are not a major operational risk on their own. Meta names Microsoft’s Mahoney as chief legal officer
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive/market skepticism — coverage and social chatter continue to debate Microsoft’s AI edge versus rivals (Google/Nvidia), and some investors remain cautious about OpenAI-related costs and high capex, which could cap sentiment if doubts persist. Google’s ‘Cannibalization’ Risk Vs Microsoft’s Azure Growth

Institutional Trading of Microsoft

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wellington Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,941,000. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 2.6% in the second quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 94,120 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $46,816,000 after acquiring an additional 2,373 shares during the period. Real Talk Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 1.6% during the first quarter. Real Talk Capital LLC now owns 2,290 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $860,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its position in Microsoft by 3.8% during the second quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 922,524 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $457,119,000 after purchasing an additional 33,382 shares during the period. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 4.3% in the third quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 285,163 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $147,700,000 after purchasing an additional 11,770 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Senator Capito

Shelley Moore Capito (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from West Virginia. She assumed office on January 3, 2015. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027. Capito (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent West Virginia. She won in the general election on November 3, 2020. Capito was first elected to the Senate in 2014, becoming the first female U.S. Senator in the state’s history. Prior to serving in the Senate, Capito was a member of the West Virginia House of Representatives from 1997 to 2001 and a member of the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2015. At the start of the 116th Congress, Capito was a member of the U.S. Senate committees on Appropriations, Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Environment and Public Works, and Rules and Administration. As of a 2014 analysis of multiple outside rankings, Capito is a more moderate right of center Republican Party vote. As a result, she may break with the Republican Party line more than her fellow members. Capito earned her bachelor’s degree from Duke University. After earning her M.Ed. from the University of Virginia, Capito was a college counselor and then director of an educational information center. She was the only Republican in the West Virginia congressional delegation until the 2010 elections and is the first Republican woman elected to Congress from West Virginia. Capito is a former chairwoman of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, as well as a member of the Congressional Arts Caucus. After an explosion responsible for the death of 29 coal workers, Capito founded the Congressional Coal Caucus. Prior to her election to the U.S. House, Capito served in the West Virginia House of Delegates.

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).