Tech

Mark Zuckerberg dodges a $128 million blow to his Facebook holdings thanks to regularly planned sales of stock for his philanthropy

Key Points
  • Facebook closed at its third-lowest price this year on Tuesday at $146.22 per share.
  • CEO Mark Zuckerberg saved around $128 million for his philanthropy initiative thanks to regularly planned sales of over 5 million shares before prices fell sharply.
  • Zuckerberg made $935 million from his regularly planned sales of Facebook stock since its peak stock day in July.
Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive officer of Facebook Inc., smiles during a news conference at the company's headquarters in Palo Alto, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg saved around $128 million thanks to fortunately timed sales of his own company's stock.

Facebook share prices fell to new lows in October, with the stock closing at its third-lowest price of the year on Tuesday at $146.22 per share ahead of its earnings release, although share prices rebounded to trade above $155 at their peak on Wednesday.

From its peak day of July 25 through the end of August, Zuckerberg sold 5.2 million shares of Facebook common stock for a total of almost $935 million. Had he sold the shares at Wednesday's price of $155 he would have generated $807.6 million, or $127.6 million less than his actual proceeds.

Zuckerberg has previously made clear his intention to sell up to 75 million shares so he can fund his philanthropic efforts through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

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Correction: This story was revised to correct that Facebook's stock price on Wednesday rose above $155 per share and that Zuckerberg made clear his intention to sell up to 75 million shares to fund philanthropic efforts.

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