[Form 4] Microsoft Corp Insider Trading Activity
Satya Nadella, Microsoft Corporation CEO and director, reported changes to his beneficial ownership in MSFT stock. On 09/02/2025 he had 308,870 shares vest at $0 under a performance stock award granted in September 2022 for the three-year performance period ending June 30, 2025, increasing his holdings to 1,062,420.244 shares. The filing shows a series of dispositions: a coded F disposition of 122,362.866 shares at an average price of $506.69 and multiple sales on 09/03/2025 totaling additional shares at weighted-average prices between $502.39 and $507.66, reducing his beneficial ownership to 790,852.378 shares. The sales were made pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan adopted March 7, 2025.
- 308,870 performance shares vested for Nadella, reflecting compensation tied to a completed three-year performance period.
- Sales executed under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, reducing concern over opportunistic insider trading.
- Net reduction of 271,567.866 shares (from 1,062,420.244 to 790,852.378), a material decrease in beneficial ownership.
- Multiple dispositions at market prices in early September 2025 reduced insider holdings substantially.
Insights
TL;DR: CEO received a substantial equity vesting and concurrently reduced holdings via a pre-established 10b5-1 plan.
The Form 4 documents a full vesting of 308,870 performance shares, followed by planned sales reducing beneficial ownership from 1,062,420.244 to 790,852.378. The F code and multiple S entries reflect executed dispositions at weighted-average prices near $503–$507, consistent with automated plan sales rather than opportunistic insider trades. Materiality: the net reduction of 271,567.866 shares is meaningful in absolute terms but represents a management liquidity event executed under a Rule 10b5-1 plan, which typically lowers signaling risk to the market.
TL;DR: Vesting of incentive shares rewarded prior performance; subsequent sales executed through a documented 10b5-1 plan.
The filing confirms compensation realization via performance stock vesting from a September 2022 award. The 10b5-1 trading plan adoption date (March 7, 2025) and disclosed weighted-average sale prices indicate pre-planned dispositions rather than ad hoc sales. From a governance perspective, use of a formal trading plan aligns with best practices for avoiding insider-trading concerns, though the reduction of ownership by roughly 25.6% of post-vest holdings may be noted by investors monitoring insider stake trends.