Nadella sells nearly one third of Microsoft shares

Vendor claims CEO offloaded stocks more than $35m worth of stocks for personal reasons

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has sold almost one third of his shares in the vendor, raising £35.9m (£28.2m).

Nadella (pictured) offloaded 328,000 of his Microsoft stocks last week, according to a regulatory filing, with the sale equating to 29.6 per cent of the total shares he held.

The stocks were sold at prices ranging between $109.08 and $109.68, averaging out at $109.44.

In a statement Microsoft said: "The stock divestitures made today were for personal financial planning and diversification reasons.

"Satya is committed to the continued success of the company and his holdings significantly exceed the holding requirements set by the Microsoft board of directors."

According to CNBC, Nadella is required to hold 15 times his base salary in shares. His salary in 2017 was $1.45m, with total compensation exceeding $20m.

Following the sale, Nadella owns 778,596 Microsoft shares.

The vendor's valuation has tripled since the CEO took over from predecessor Steve Ballmer in 2014.

This year, Microsoft's share price has risen by over a quarter.