Insider Trades: Nike Sees More CEO Buys, Aehr Sold on 300% Gain

Key Points

• Gains keep compounding for AEHR in 2026, and insiders are taking advantage.
• CEO insiders at NKE keep buying as the stock craters.
• The company that helped SMR rise to fame has nearly exited the small nuclear stock.

Insiders are making moves in one top-performing artificial intelligence (AI) stock and two high-profile names experiencing massive drawdowns. This includes multiple CEOs buying what is arguably the world’s most recognized name in the apparel industry. See the positive and negative signals that these trades provide investors.

Up Over 300%, Aehr Insiders Increase Sales to $23 Million

Aehr Test Systems NASDAQ: AEHR has been one of the market's hottest stocks of 2026, delivering massive gains. Shares are up more than 300% on the year, positioning Aehr as the third-best performing stock in the Russell 3000 Index. The Russell 3000 tracks approximately 98% of the U.S. public equity market. The stock’s gain comes as the company has been raking in orders for its AI semiconductor testing solutions.

However, as shares spike, insider sales are spiking as well. In Q2, insiders sold around $23 million worth of Aehr stock. This comes after insider sales did not eclipse $600,000 in any of the previous three quarters. Importantly, it appears that none of these sales came under predetermined 10b5-1 plans. A very small number of them were attributed to tax payments made upon the vesting of restricted stock units.

This strongly suggests that the vast majority of these sales were discretionary in nature, a meaningful negative indicator for Aehr’s outlook. Still, many of these sellers maintain very large positions in Aehr. Notably, Rhea Posedel and Howard Slayen still hold more than 400,000 and 150,000 shares, respectively. Overall, with Aehr having appreciated so rapidly, insiders are clearly looking to lock in some gains but also appear willing to continue holding a significant number of shares.

Elliott Hill and Tim Cook Combine for $2 Million in Nike Buys

As shares of Nike NYSE: NKE continue to fall, CEOs are doubling down on their bets. Near the end of 2025, Nike CEO Elliot Hill purchased around $1 million worth of Nike shares. This came as Nike stock had fallen 55% in the two years since the end of 2023. Apple NASDAQ: AAPL CEO Tim Cook also got in on the action, buying $2.95 million in Nike shares. Cook is also a member of Nike’s Board of Directors. Hill and Cook made these purchases at between $61 and $59 per share.

Since then, Nike has continued to tumble, down more than 25% in 2026. In response, Hill and Cook each spent an additional $1 million on Nike stock in April.

They made these most recent buys at prices near $42. Insiders John Rogers Jr. and Robert Swan also bought shares in April, spending around $673,000 combined. Swan joins Hill and Cook in buying more shares since December 2025.

These buys are positive signs for Nike stock. Hill, Cook, and Swan are clearly showing their conviction in Nike’s outlook by increasing their positions after taking large losses on their previous purchases. Still, their past purchases show that mimicking insider buys can come with significant risk over short periods.

Fluor’s Position in NuScale Nears Its End

Small modular nuclear reactor stock NuScale Power NYSE: SMR has taken a huge hit over the last several months, down over 65% since the end of October 2025. In its November earnings report, NuScale posted a massive loss of $1.85 per share. Analysts had expected a loss of just 11 cents. This came as the firm had to make a $148.5 million payment to ENTRA1 under their Partnership Milestone Agreement (PMA).

NuScale made the payment to fund the development of the 6-gigawatt reactor project that the firm has signed with the Tennessee Valley Authority. Notably, the stock went on to fall for eight straight days after this report, dropping more than 40%.

Fluor NYSE: FLR has continued to offload its stake in NuScale. This comes under a predetermined agreement between the companies, as Fluor was NuScale’s primary financial backer in its early days.

During April, Fluor sold approximately $312 million worth of NuScale stock, lowering its position by 66% from 40 million to 13.5 million shares.

However, it’s worth noting that Fluor has nearly liquidated its position. Its remaining 13.5 million position is equal in size to the sale it executed on April 9. The full liquidation of Fluor’s stake, which could occur soon, would remove a technical headwind that has weighed on SMR. While positive, this certainly does not mean that SMR will stage a big-time recovery.

Analysts Remain Somewhat Optimistic on Nike Amid Earnings Plunge

The huge decline in Nike stock makes it an interesting name going forward. Despite Nike tanking by 15% shortly after its latest earnings report, Wall Street analysts maintain a generally positive outlook on the stock. The MarketBeat consensus price target on Nike sits near $62. However, the average of targets updated after its April earnings is approximately $57. This figure still implies a bit more than 20% upside in shares.