Rep. Josh Gottheimer Sells Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares

Representative Josh Gottheimer (Democratic-New Jersey) recently sold shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). In a filing disclosed on March 16th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Microsoft stock on February 2nd. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “MORGAN STANLEY – SELECT UMA ACCOUNT # 1” account.

Representative Josh Gottheimer also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Infineon Technologies (OTCMKTS:IFNNY) on 2/27/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) on 2/27/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Federal Signal (NYSE:FSS) on 2/26/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Intuit (NASDAQ:INTU) on 2/20/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Carvana (NYSE:CVNA) on 2/18/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Visa (NYSE:V) on 2/18/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) on 2/5/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Cummins (NYSE:CMI) on 2/5/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of GE Vernova (NYSE:GEV) on 2/5/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Cloudflare (NYSE:NET) on 2/4/2026.

Microsoft Trading Up 2.2%

MSFT traded up $7.73 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $364.50. 9,352,008 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 35,761,914. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $409.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $467.20. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $344.79 and a 1-year high of $555.45. The company has a market cap of $2.71 trillion, a PE ratio of 22.84, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $81.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 39.04%.Microsoft’s revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.23 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.76%.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In related news, Director John W. Stanton purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 83,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. The trade was a 6.34% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $5,045,695.92. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,486,322.16. This represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Microsoft News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bill Ackman publicly called Microsoft “extremely cheap,” arguing the stock’s valuation is a rare long‑term buying opportunity — a high‑profile endorsement that can attract dip buyers. Bill Ackman Calls Microsoft (MSFT) and Nvidia (NVDA) ‘Extremely Cheap’ Amid Market Selloff
• Positive Sentiment: Several sell‑side notes and roundups highlight large upside from current levels (some call for ~60–89% rebounds), supporting a “buy the dip” narrative among long‑term investors. Wall Street Says Microsoft Stock Has 89% Rebound Potential. Should You Buy the Dip Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft launched a nationwide AI training initiative (LinkedIn Learning/Dept. of Labor framework) to grow its developer and enterprise ecosystem — a long‑term positive for Azure/AI adoption and talent pipeline. Microsoft Ties Nationwide AI Training To Long Term Ecosystem Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Australian partner Data#3 won a government Microsoft licensing role — incremental commercial traction for Microsoft’s software/solutions in public sector but limited global earnings impact. Data#3 wins whole-of-government Microsoft licensing role with DTA
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft is reshaping Game Pass strategy as competitors raise hardware/software prices — could improve monetization over time but near‑term demand/pricing dynamics remain uncertain. Microsoft’s bold Game Pass rethink resets the rule for gaming
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risk and sector-wide selling (the “Magnificent 7” dropped heavily) have pushed MSFT well below recent highs; coverage notes it’s the worst YTD performer among peers, amplifying momentum outflows. The Iran war turned Mag 7 stocks into dip-buying bait. But no one is jumping in yet even though Wall Street expects U.S. tech to outperform
• Negative Sentiment: UBS cut its price target on MSFT (from $600 to $510) while keeping a Buy rating — a signal that valuation upside is being trimmed amid slower sentiment for AI leaders. UBS Lowers PT on Microsoft (MSFT), Maintains a Buy Rating
• Negative Sentiment: Company‑level execution/organizational headlines (HR shuffle and a temporary sales‑hiring freeze) plus critical commentary that “the AI honeymoon is over” are adding to bearish sentiment and near‑term stock pressure. No More Sales Hires for Now at Microsoft, Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) Slides

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Microsoft

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 717,942,580 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $347,211,391,000 after acquiring an additional 15,955,898 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Microsoft by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 306,150,608 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $148,060,557,000 after purchasing an additional 6,388,930 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 182,618,400 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $88,056,019,000 after purchasing an additional 1,911,142 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in Microsoft by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 121,220,561 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $58,624,690,000 after purchasing an additional 980,439 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth $50,664,631,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MSFT. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $540.00 price target on shares of Microsoft and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Melius Research set a $430.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, February 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $600.00 target price (down from $650.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $588.97.

About Representative Gottheimer

Josh Gottheimer (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2017. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Gottheimer (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Gottheimer is also running for election for Governor of New Jersey. He declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on June 10, 2025.

Gottheimer attended the University of Pennsylvania for his undergraduate degree. He became a Thouron Fellow at Oxford and attended Harvard Law School. Gottheimer worked as a speech writer under former President Bill Clinton (D), assisting with two State of the Union addresses, among other projects. Before running for Congress, he worked for Microsoft as a general manager for corporate strategy.

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).