US Public Company Insiders Sold 10x More Stock Than They Bought in August
Record Insider Selling Hits US Public Companies in August
In August 2026, corporate insiders at US public companies sold roughly $10 worth of shares for every $1 they bought. This made August the worst month of the year for the buy-to-sell ratio, based on official SEC filings.
The trend continued into September, with a slightly better but still negative ratio of 1 sell for every 3.6 buys. Insiders have been selling more as stock prices remain high.
Key Figures from the Insider Data
- August buy:sell ratio: 10-to-1 (sells to buys).
- September ratio so far: 3.6-to-1.
- First half of 2026: Insiders sold $77.6 billion and bought $6.9 billion, a ratio of about 11-to-1.
- First half of 2025 had a ratio of 9.7-to-1.
SEC Form 4 Filings Show Large Individual Sales
Several high-profile sales were disclosed in SEC Form 4 filings. These are official documents that insiders must file when they trade company stock.
Nvidia director Mark Stevens sold 1.85 million shares for about $411 million between August 31 and September 2. This set a new record for insider selling at Nvidia, surpassing a previous $235 million sale in 2024.
Other notable sales include Meta Chief Product Officer Christopher Cox selling $13 million, CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz selling $4.2 million, and Cloudflare president Michelle Zatlyn selling $27.7 million.
Confirmed Facts on Insider Transactions
The buy:sell ratios for August and September are based on data from averageinsider.com and SEC filings. The specific sales amounts and dates are confirmed by the SEC filings cited in the article.
All sales were legal and accompanied by public filings. Insiders are allowed to sell their shares for cash.
Why This Trend Matters for Market Observers
Insiders often have the best view into their companies' performance. Their selling activity can indicate sentiment about stock prices.
The large selling spree occurred as major stock indices traded near all-time highs. Additionally, it happened shortly before Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned about the risks of fast AI development, though he did not specifically link this to stock prices.