Bill Gates Selling Off Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares in Bundles

With Bill Gates, by any metric, having become a good investor, the idea that he has been selling his shares in Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) at a rapid pace underscores the horrid performance of the company over the last

Going back to January 2001, Microsoft was selling at $30.53, while at the end of trading Tuesday it closed at $28.28. Not an inspiring performance by any means.

Over the years Microsoft has claimed Gates was simply diversifying his portfolio when he divested of his shares in the company, but at the rate he's selling now, that can no longer be taken seriously.

In the last year, Gates has sold approximately 90 million shares of Microsoft. Recent filings show Gates sold 5 million shares on February 2 and February 3; 10 million total.

The 90 million shares sold are 13 percent of his stake in Microsoft. Taken even further back, he has cut his stake in Microsoft by about 22 percent over the last couple of years.

It's not a surprise to investors, but Microsoft has definitely been playing on the defensive, and they've struggle to maintain their core business while at the same time addressing new and lucrative growth markets.

CEO has evidently been put on notice by Microsoft's board that they want to see the company grow more, and Ballmer seems to have gotten the message, as he appears to be ready to shake up the management of the company.

Even Gates selling his shares in the way he has is a message being sent, although obviously not the sole reason for his doing it.

Microsoft is probably about to get a little more interesting, if for no other reason than seeing what Ballmer does with the management changes expected.

If the changes don't take effect, the next move will probably be the removal of Ballmer.