Microsoft CEO sells stock for first time in over 10 years
Steve Ballmer sold less than 10% of his stake in Microsoft according to this Dow Jones story in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required):
In shares, Mr. Ballmer, 47 years old, trails only Chairman Bill Gates. Unlike Mr. Gates and other Microsoft executives who have been regular sellers of Microsoft shares, Mr. Ballmer had held onto nearly all of his stake in the software company in recent years.
Mr. Ballmer last sold some of his Microsoft holdings in April and May of 1991, when he sold 25.2 million shares, according to Thomson Financial. In recent years, Mr. Gates has sold more than 400 million split-adjusted Microsoft shares, or nearly 40% of his stake.
Ballmer sold the stock under Rule 10b5-1 which allows,
company insiders to set up transactions of company shares under a preexisting plan so information they acquire later isn't a factor in their trading decisions.