
Ellison will sell as much as 50 million of his Oracle shares starting no earlier than 'late June,' following the release of Oracle fiscal year 2010 earnings. Some of these shares may be acquired through the exercise of stock options.
The sales will be executed through what is called a 'Rule 10b5-1' plan, an SEC-registered program for corporate insiders. Oracle said the sales are part of Ellison's 'strategy for asset diversification and liquidity.'
If he completes the sales, Ellison will still own about 1.13 billion shares, or 22.3 percent of Oracle's outstanding stock. Based on Oracle's Monday closing price, the 50 million shares are currently worth more than $1.32 billion.
(Reporting by Joseph A. Giannone; Editing by Bernard Orr) (joseph.giannone@thomsonreuters.com; +1 646 223 6184; Reuters Messaging: joseph.giannone.reuters.com@reuters.net ) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
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