Insider Buying by Sector
Over the last 90 days insiders in Utilities put the most money in for every dollar they took out; insiders in Technology sold the most for every dollar they bought.
Executives and directors sell stock all the time, mostly for personal reasons, so sales outnumber purchases in every sector. The useful comparison is the ratio: how many cents insiders spent buying for every dollar they sold. A sector where the ratio is unusually high has more insiders putting their own money in than usual. Open-market trades only (Form 4 codes P and S) by executives and directors, by filing date, since Aug 1, 2026. Funds and companies that report because they own 10% are left out, since a single block trade by an investment firm can swamp a sector's total.
Last 90 days
| Sector | Bought | Buyers | Sold | Bought per $1 sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utilities | $89.4M76 trades | 42 | $253.2M187 trades | 35¢ |
| Communication Services | $72.9M44 trades | 19 | $316.2M184 trades | 23¢ |
| Real Estate | $51.6M207 trades | 99 | $314.5M174 trades | 16¢ |
| Materials | $105.6M214 trades | 142 | $645.4M508 trades | 16¢ |
| Financials | $207.9M557 trades | 363 | $1.55B1448 trades | 13¢ |
| Energy | $73.8M78 trades | 38 | $614.0M180 trades | 12¢ |
| Health Care | $270.7M433 trades | 261 | $2.82B1943 trades | 9.6¢ |
| Industrials | $225.5M365 trades | 189 | $2.55B1320 trades | 8.8¢ |
| Consumer Discretionary | $254.5M318 trades | 163 | $2.98B1343 trades | 8.5¢ |
| Consumer Staples | $33.3M55 trades | 36 | $628.7M78 trades | 5.3¢ |
| Technology | $167.9M366 trades | 134 | $9.61B2827 trades | 1.7¢ |
Last 30 days
By dollars bought, the busiest sectors this month were Financials ($93.8M from 93 buyers), Industrials ($90.8M from 43 buyers) and Consumer Discretionary ($84.7M from 26 buyers).
| Sector | Bought | Sold | Bought per $1 sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Staples | $24.1M | $6.73M | $3.58 |
| Energy | $47.1M | $22.0M | $2.14 |
| Utilities | $40.6M | $76.2M | 53¢ |
| Industrials | $90.8M | $255.7M | 35¢ |
| Financials | $93.8M | $361.5M | 26¢ |
| Consumer Discretionary | $84.7M | $329.8M | 26¢ |
| Real Estate | $2.66M | $15.4M | 17¢ |
| Health Care | $72.7M | $490.2M | 15¢ |
| Materials | $3.93M | $37.3M | 11¢ |
| Technology | $19.1M | $2.13B | 0.9¢ |
| Communication Services | $19K | $21.9M | 0.1¢ |
How to read it
One large purchase can move a small sector's total, so check the "biggest purchases" column and the number of buyers before reading much into a high ratio. Many insiders buying across different companies in the same sector is a stronger sign than one big buyer. See also cluster buys and our study of how insider purchases did.
About this page
Insider trades reported on SEC Form 4: when the people who run a company buy or sell its shares with their own money.
How to read it
- Form 4
- The form a company insider (officer, director or owner of more than 10%) must file with the SEC within two business days of buying or selling the company's shares.
- Buy (P) and Sell (S)
- Open-market purchases and sales. Gifts, option exercises and automatic tax withholding are left out because they say little about what the insider thinks.
- Value
- Shares times price, as reported on the filing.
- 10b5-1
- A trade made under a plan set up in advance. Planned sales are common and usually say less than an unplanned purchase.
- Late filing
- A Form 4 filed more than two business days after the trade.
- Vs. S&P 500
- How the stock did after the trade minus how the overall market did in the same weeks.
A real example
In January 2016, when bank stocks were falling, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon bought 500,000 JPMorgan shares with his own money, worth about $26 million. His Form 4 made the purchase public within days, and investors read it as a strong sign of confidence.
Explain it like I'm 13
If the coach of a team bets his own allowance that his team will win, that tells you something. A Form 4 is the note a company boss must hand in whenever he buys or sells his own company's shares, so everyone can see it.
Data from public SEC filings and congressional reports. Information, not investment advice. Check every number against the filing linked on the page.