Leading tech firms and major banks rolled out massive buybacks, while top executives cashed in as markets rebounded from April’s tariff-driven slump.
- Amazon’s founder sold at least $5 billion in company stock this year, coinciding with his second wedding, making him the top insider seller.
- Big Tech firms and top banks announced record buybacks.
- S&P 500 suffered one of its worst drops in April, following President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements, and rallied in the latter part of the year, as the business environment stabilized.
In a volatile year, Corporate America seized the moment, with a wave of stock buybacks and executive sales. Data for 2025 show that leading tech firms and major banks unveiled massive repurchase programs, while top executives cashed in heavily as the market rebounded following April’s tariff‑driven slump.
The most talked-about share sale was that of Amazon.com, Inc. founder Jeff Bezos, which coincided with his wedding to longtime girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez. From June through August, Bezos sold at least $5 billion of shares, making it one of the biggest insider sales this year.
He is closely followed by Oracle’s Executive Vice Chair and former CEO Safra Catz, who sold about $1.7 billion worth of company stock, mainly in June and July.
Executive< | Designation< | Company< | Trade< | Period< |
| Jeff Bezos | Executive Chairman | Amazon | At least $5B | June-July |
| Safra Catz | Executive Vice Chair, Former CEO | Oracle | About $1.7B | January, June & July |
| Michael Dell | CEO and Chairman | Dell | About $2.2B | June & October |
| Jensen Huang | CEO | Nvidia | At least $1B | August |
| Ernest Garcia II | Major Shareholder | Carvana | At least $1B | Through The Year |
| Alex Karp | CEO | Palantir | About $170M | May, August & November |
| Lisa Su | CEO | AMD | About $64M | August & December |
Notable insider stock sales in 2025 (not exhaustive)<
Source: SEC filings, media reports, and Stocktwits research<
The benchmark S&P 500 suffered one of its worst troughs in April as President Donald Trump unveiled his tariff policy, which sent shockwaves through global markets and asset classes, and prompted companies in the U.S. and around the world to spend the following months restructuring their operations to offset or absorb the added costs.
However, markets stabilized in the latter part of the year, as more businesses demonstrated adaptability and steady performance than those that struggled to adjust.
Insider stock purchases lagged far behind sales, and those that did occur were driven more by executives signaling confidence in their companies than by a pursuit of personal financial gain. To be sure, that is typically the case; if management sees an opportunity in their company’s stock, they go for buybacks rather than executives picking up shares in their personal capacity.
Executive< | Designation< | Company< | Trade< |
Horacio Rozanski | CEO | Booz Allen Hamilton | $2M |
Kaz Nejatian | CEO | Opendoor | $1M |
David Ricks | CEO | Eli Lilly | $1M |
David Risher | CEO | Lyft | $100,000 |
Notable insider stock purchases in 2025 (not exhaustive).<
Source: SEC filings, media reports, and Stocktwits research<
This year, several companies announced record buybacks. Apple, which has had a rather challenging year due to weak sales, approved a massive $100 billion repurchase plan. Alphabet and Nvidia, tech heavyweights benefiting from a sharp year-end rally, announced sizable buybacks even as their stock prices remained strong.
Company< | Buyback Amount< | Date< |
Apple | $100B | May |
Alphabet | $70B | April |
Nvidia | $60B | August |
JPMorgan Chase | $50B | July |
Goldman Sachs | $40B | April |
Wells Fargo | $40B | May |
Bank of America | $40B | July |
Visa | $30B | April |
Citigroup | $20B | January |
Booking Holdings | $20B | February |
Top corporate buybacks in 2025. Source: Visual Capitalist<
To be sure, companies have a long-term window to purchase their shares and strategically plan their purchases around favourable stock movements. Among companies with new buybacks, Citigroup and Alphabet have the highest year-to-date gains of around 61%, while Booking is the weakest with just 8% gains.<
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