Rep. Michael A. Rulli Unloads Shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

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 traded up $9.01 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $534.19. The stock had a trading volume of 5,913,064 shares, compared to its average volume of 34,510,105. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $349.20 and a 12 month high of $553.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.97 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $492.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $431.07.

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

Microsoft Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSFT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $660.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, August 10th. CLSA reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Microsoft from $550.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Wolfe Research downgraded Microsoft from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Microsoft from $522.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Forty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $578.73.

Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Melius Research upgraded Microsoft from Hold to Buy and set a $665 price target, implying substantial potential upside. The firm views Microsoft as the “adults in charge” of AI, arguing that rising corporate concerns about AI safety, security and governance could increase demand for Azure, Microsoft 365 and related security products. Microsoft stock rises as Melius upgrades to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue raising Microsoft’s revenue and free-cash-flow forecasts, helping support higher valuation targets and bullish options strategies. Recent commentary also highlights six consecutive earnings beats and strong AI-related demand. Microsoft Put Credit Spread Plays
• Positive Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm remains focused on Copilot, Azure and Microsoft’s enterprise distribution. Reports say Copilot has reached roughly 30 million paid seats, while Microsoft’s AI backlog is growing faster than infrastructure capacity. Jim Cramer and other commentators continue to identify MSFT as a major AI beneficiary.
• Positive Sentiment: A new Wood Mackenzie connector brings proprietary energy data directly into Microsoft Copilot, providing another example of third-party enterprise applications expanding Copilot’s usefulness and potential monetization. Wood Mackenzie connects energy intelligence with Microsoft Copilot

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Microsoft

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Box Hill Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in Microsoft by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Box Hill Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,272 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,593,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,473 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $549,000 after buying an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial raised its holdings in Microsoft by 6.2% during the first quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 431 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $160,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Sequent Planning LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.7% in the first quarter. Sequent Planning LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,382,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 3.8% in the second quarter. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC now owns 687 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. This trade represents a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total transaction of $2,388,068.80. Following the transaction, 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 143,009 shares of company stock worth $71,420,699 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

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.

About Microsoft

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.