Insiders: Yahoo sales fell with share price in '06

By Chris O'Brien
Mercury News

The past year probably won't go down as the best ever in the history of Yahoo.
The Sunnyvale Internet giant couldn't seem to escape the shadow of its nemesis, Google. Yahoo's stock dropped almost 35 percent in 2006. A new advertising system designed to compete against Google was delayed. Yahoo reorganized and lost one of its top executives in the process.

Another indication of the tough year: Stock sales by insiders were way down. Insiders sold $175.2 million worth of Yahoo stock in 2006, a figure that includes a single sale of $33 million by Chief Executive Terry Semel. That compares to $514.1 million worth of stock sold in 2005 and $499.1 million in 2004.

Even if it was a down year in some respects, revenue still rose 22 percent to $6.4 billion. And two months into 2007, the stock is regaining some lost ground. By Friday, when it closed at $30.42, it was up 19.1 percent for the year.

Insiders have also been selling, though at a pace that would put them closer to 2006 than the previous two years.

So far in 2007, five insiders have sold $33.7 million in stock.

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