Insiders Rang in the New Year Selling These Stocks, Buyers Beware

Insiders rang in 2026 by selling shares of CoreWeave (NASDAQ: CRWV), Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ: URBN), and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ: KTOS). Investors beware—the selling activity aligns with technical market tops, which capped gains in 2025 and will likely pressure markets in 2026.

The silver lining is that each of these names has a bullish story underpinning its long-term price action. Near-term pressures, including insider selling, cap gains today, but price pullbacks present buying opportunities in these stocks. The question is how deep the pullbacks may go and what might put a bottom in their markets, leading to a rebound in stock prices. 

CoreWeave Insider Selling Pressures Weaken in Early 2026

CoreWeave is among the most-sold stocks by insiders in 2025, and the trend has continued into January 2026. InsiderTrades data reveals significant selling in Q3 and Q4 2025, followed by another, albeit smaller, dump in early Q1 2026. Insiders selling include the CEO, founders, and technology officers, all of whom have considerable exposure due to share-based compensation, early investments, and/or founder status. The risk to investors is that their activity aligns with a series of lower market tops, representing significant hurdles for the market. Each can be expected to trigger volatility as short-term owners take profits and long-term owners cut losses. 

On the  side, market support is solid. CoreWeave’s institutional activity reveals that institutions, hedge funds, and private equity own about 50% of the shares and have bought on balance since the company's IPO. The balance in early 2026 is $10 bought for each $1 sold, providing a strong updraft to counter the insider sales, and analysts are also lending support.

January analyst activity was mixed, with some price target reductions, but the bearishness was offset by more bullish initiations, price target boosts, and upgrades. The net result was increased coverage, firmer sentiment, a strengthened bullish bias, and a higher consensus target. Forecasting 39% upside in early February, the analyst consensus price target indicates a move towards $200 is possible. 

Urban Outfitters Insider Selling Ramps in Q1 2026

Urban Outfitters insider selling is significant for numerous reasons, including high insider ownership of nearly 32% of outstanding shares. Other factors include the pace of sales, which ramped in 2025 and again in early 2026.

Insiders, primarily the CEO, own a large share of the company and stand to realize enormous profits. This partially offsets the bearishness of the insider selling. Up approximately 300% in three years at the 2025 peak, the stock price is still up about 250% over the same period as of early February. Profits of this magnitude create their own pressures, including portfolio diversification and the tax costs associated with selling. With that in play, insider selling is unlikely to abate.

Institutions, on the other hand, are buying this stock.  The group owns nearly all remaining shares, having bought on balance every quarter in 2025 and extended the trend thus far in 2026. Analysts are on board with this uptrend, rating the stock a Hold with the consensus price target trending higher. Consensus forecasts 18% upside as of early February and another double-digit advance at the high end of the range. 

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Insiders Sell Into the Rally

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions insiders have been selling into the stock price rally, no surprise given the use of share-based compensation and the meteoric stock price increase. Up about 240% in the last five years, KTOS stock has seen significant gains, and insiders cannot be faulted for locking in profits. Other factors, including the institutions, pose a larger threat. Institutional activity is mildly bullish in early 2026 but may not remain so. Institutional selling was robust in 2025, ramping sequentially to outpace buying in Q4. This activity created a market top that will impact price action in 2026. 

As it stands, the 2025 top is a support target and critical pivot for this market. The analyst activity suggests support will be solid at this level, with coverage rising and price targets firming, but a support break cannot be ruled out. The stock trades at over 45X its 2030 earnings outlook, a high valuation for any market to support. 

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The article "Insiders Rang in the New Year Selling These Stocks, Buyers Beware" first appeared on MarketBeat.