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.

Paul Allen Relaunches Patent Lawsuit Against Google (Nasdaq:GOOG), Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL), Facebook

After having the original lawsuit against Google (Nasdaq:GOOG), Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL) and Facebook dismissed, Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) with Bill Gates, has refiled the patent lawsuit against the companies.

The complaint centers around patents held by Allen's company Interval Licensing, which Allen says holds four patents dealing with data on the Internet and how its sorted through and offered to users.

He says those patents are being infringed upon by the companies, and is seeking a ban on all the products allegedly using the technology, as well as compensation for damages in relationship to their use.

Google was trading at $601.15, gaining $2.23, or 0.37 percent, as of 1:43 PM EST. Apple was at $325.74, up $0.27, or 0.08 percent. Facebook is privately held.

International Coal (NYSE:ICO), L&L Energy (NASDAQ:LLEN), James River Coal (NASDAQ:JRCC) Lead Coal Sector Last Month

Coal has been hot recently, and leading the sector over the last month have been International Coal (NYSE:ICO), L&L Energy (NASDAQ:LLEN), James River Coal (NASDAQ:JRCC), all increasing by over 20 percent during that time.

Not far behind them is Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) and Walter Energy (NYSE:WLT), which have surged by 18 percent.

Speculation has been swirling concerning Warren Buffett and Bill Gates being interested in coal, with employees from Arch Coal (NYSE:ACI) alleging they were seen looking around at Wyoming coal mines.

The fact that they were vastly outperformed over the last month by their peers and used social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to get the word out, suggest is may have all been a marketing ploy to generate interest in the company and increase share price through speculation.

International Coal closed Thursday at $8.17, up $0.19, or 2.38 percent. L&L Energy closed at $11.57, down $0.30, or 2.53 percent. James River ended the day at $22.61, falling $0.17, or 0.75 percent.

Walter Energy surged to close at $115.16, up $4.17, or 3.76 percent. Hecla Mining ended the session at $10.44, gaining $0.21, or 2.05 percent.