3 Insider Moves You Shouldn’t Ignore Heading Into 2026

Key Points

• A Salesforce insider just bought $25 million worth of stock, signaling confidence in the company's long-term strategy.
• Japanese investment company SoftBank sold $186 million of Symbotic stock, marking its first significant reduction in the position and signaling caution.
• Insiders at Meta Platforms financier Blue Owl are upping their stake in the company after a disappointing 2025.

Insider trades are often some of the most revealing signals in the market—and three recent moves are sending sharply different messages. At Salesforce NYSE: CRM, a board member is doubling down after a rough year. Symbotic NASDAQ: SYM just saw its first major insider sale after a dramatic run-up. And Blue Owl Capital NYSE: OWL is attracting widespread insider buying despite poor recent performance. Together, these trades offer a window into what insiders believe lies ahead.

$25 Million Salesforce Board Member Buy Reflects Long-Term Confidence

Shareholders in tech giant Salesforce clearly just received a bullish signal from Mason G. Morfit, who sits on the company's Board of Directors. 

On Dec. 5, Morfit purchased approximately $25 million worth of the company’s shares for investment management firm ValueAct Capital, where he serves as co-CEO and Chief Investment Officer.

Because ValueAct manages outside capital, the purchase likely reflects high-conviction analysis and underscores the seriousness of this bullish signal.

Salesforce has come under considerable pressure in 2025, down around 21%. However, the company’s latest earnings report, released on Dec. 3, has moved sentiment in the right direction with shares up around 10% through Dec. 12.

Despite a meager recovery recently, the stock remains down more than 40% from its all-time high. Insider buying, combined with the firm’s AI momentum, provides hope that the rebound can continue.

The company’s agentic artificial intelligence (AI) tool Agentforce has seen rapid adoption. Annual recurring revenue for the product grew 330% last quarter versus a year ago, supporting its target of over 10% annual revenue growth through fiscal 2030. While some investors remain skeptical of this growth trajectory, Morfit’s sizable purchase signals institutional confidence in Salesforce’s long-term AI strategy. 

SoftBank Trims Symbotic Stake for the First Time After Massive 2025 Rally

On the other side of the equation, robotics company Symbotic just saw a significant insider sale from one of its biggest backers.

Major shareholder SoftBank Group OTCMKTS: SOBKY, a large Japanese investment company known for taking stakes in tech companies, sold more than $186 million worth of Symbotic shares on Dec. 8. 

Symbotic makes robotic systems used to optimize warehouses, with Walmart NASDAQ: WMT being its primary customer. The company’s stock has surged approximately 159% year-to-date (YTD), making SoftBank’s timing on the sale strategically sound.

According to its last 13F filing, Symbotic is one of SoftBank's largest positions. Since taking a position in 2022, SoftBank has only increased the number of Symbotic shares it owns. This coudl be seen as a bearish indicator for the stock.

With this recent sale, SoftBank reduced its position in Symbotic by around 9% from 39.8 million shares to 36.3 million shares. SoftBank continues to hold a large position in Symbotic, but it is also not unrealistic to think that this could be the first in a series of reductions in its Symbotic stake. Investors should monitor further moves like this going forward.

4 Blue Owl Executives Buy Shares Despite Weak Performance

Blue Owl Capital, a firm focused on private credit and direct lending, has faced significant pressure in 2025, posting a negative 30% total return YTD—but its top executives are sending a different message.

In December, four senior insiders, including both co-CEOs, the CFO, and Credit platform head Craig Packer. In total, these insiders purchased $5.9 million in OWL shares. The fact that many top players at the company are buying shares is a solid bullish indicator for Blue Owl stock.

Blue Owl made headlines back in October after it entered a joint venture with Meta Platforms NASDAQ: META. Blue Owl will provide funds to finance the development of Meta’s Hyperion data center and will own an 80% interest in the facility. This could become a meaningful revenue stream and help justify long-term optimism.

Follow the Smart Money

Insider trades often reveal priorities and pressure points that don’t always show up in earnings reports. December’s moves suggest that leadership at Salesforce and Blue Owl sees untapped upside, while SoftBank’s partial exit from Symbotic may reflect a shift in risk tolerance.

As 2026 approaches, these insider actions offer an early read on which strategies insiders believe are built to last—and which may be due for recalibration.