Microsoft (MSFT) Stock: Director Bets $1.98M While Insiders Keep Selling

TLDR

• Microsoft director John Stanton bought 5,000 MSFT shares at $397.35, totaling $1.98 million on February 18.
• Stanton now directly owns 83,905 shares, plus 3,622 via a family trust.
• Despite the purchase, TipRanks rates overall insider sentiment as Negative, with $4.5M in insider sells over three months.
• MSFT is down more than 17% year-to-date.
• Analysts maintain a Strong Buy consensus with an average price target of $593.38, implying 48.5% upside.

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Microsoft director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares of MSFT on February 18, paying $397.35 per share for a total of $1.98 million.

Microsoft Corporation, MSFT

Stanton now directly holds 83,905 shares. He also controls another 3,622 shares through a family trust.

The purchase comes at an interesting moment. MSFT has dropped more than 17% year-to-date, meaning Stanton is buying into a stock that has been sliding for weeks.

For many retail investors, an insider buy of this size is worth paying attention to. Directors don’t typically spend $2 million of their own money without some level of conviction.

Insider Sentiment Still Negative

Despite Stanton’s purchase, the broader insider picture for MSFT isn’t encouraging.

Insider selling doesn’t always spell trouble. Executives sell shares for tax planning, diversification, and personal reasons all the time. But when selling consistently outpaces buying, it can suggest limited near-term conviction at current prices.

Stanton’s buy stands out as the most meaningful insider purchase in recent months. Whether others follow suit will be worth watching.

Analysts Remain Firmly Bullish

Wall Street isn’t sharing the cautious insider tone.

TipRanks shows MSFT holds a Strong Buy consensus, backed by 32 Buy ratings and just four Holds over the last three months. Not a single analyst has a Sell on the stock.

The average price target is $593.38 — a potential gain of 48.5% from current levels around $397.

Microsoft’s AI push continues to attract analyst support. The company recently committed to investing $50 billion in AI infrastructure across developing nations, announced at the AI summit in New Delhi.

Stanton’s $1.98 million purchase was executed on the same day MSFT traded near $397.

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