The largest corporate Bitcoin (BTC) investor, US-based software company MicroStrategy’s Chairman of the Board, Michael Saylor, has filed a regulatory application with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to sell his company shares worth $216 million. It is expected that Saylor will use the cash from these sales to purchase BTC.
Saylor to Sell Up to 5,000 MicroStrategy Shares Per Trading Day for 4 Months
The document indicates that Saylor has requested to sell a stock award of 310,000 shares granted in 2014, which is due to expire in April. During MicroStrategy’s third-quarter earnings call in 2023, Saylor announced his plan to sell up to 5,000 shares per trading day over the next four months, subject to a minimum price condition.
This situation was first mentioned in the 10-Q filing, which stated that he could sell up to 400,000 vested shares by April 26. During the call, Saylor mentioned, “Exercising this option will allow me to meet my personal obligations and acquire additional BTC for my personal account,” and added:
I continue to be optimistic about MicroStrategy’s prospects and must note that my equity stake in the company will remain significant after these sales.
MicroStrategy, after its last Bitcoin purchase in December, is now the largest corporate Bitcoin investor with approximately 189,000 BTC. The company currently holds about $8.5 billion worth of BTC at current prices.
Bitcoin’s Rise Powers MicroStrategy Shares to Show Strength
As is known, the largest cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, has risen over 160% throughout 2023. This increase has driven MicroStrategy’s shares into an upward trend. Most recently, the company defied a general downturn in crypto-focused stocks during the trading session on January 2, gaining 8.5% in value.
On the other hand, Bitcoin’s price is trading above $45,000 at the time of writing this article, as market participants expect the SEC to approve at least one spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the coming days. This approval is anticipated to attract both individual and institutional investors to Bitcoin.
