Ballmer unloads more Microsoft stock

Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer this week cashed in on nearly 2 million shares of the software giant's stock, bringing the total number he sold this month to about 51 million.

The stock sold Wednesday for between $24 and $25 per share, according to a regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Ballmer raised about $49 million from the transaction. Last week's sale raised about $1.2 billion.

Ballmer's transactions over the past week are part of his effort to diversify his personal holdings, Microsoft said earlier. Ballmer had not sold shares since 1991. The company's co-founders, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, by contrast shed their holdings on a regular basis.

"Even though this is a personal financial matter, I want to be clear about this to avoid any confusion," Ballmer said in a statement earlier this month. "I remain excited about the potential for our technology to change people's lives, and I remain as committed to Microsoft as ever."

After this week's sale, Ballmer still holds 419,519,622 shares in Microsoft, according to the SEC filing. His remaining holdings are valued at about $10.2 billion at Thursday's closing price of $24.40.