Nvidia executives have sold over $1 billion in shares, raising questions about their motives amid the company’s market success.
At a Glance
● Nvidia executives and board members have sold over $1 billion in company stock in the past 12 months.
● More than $500 million worth of shares were sold in June 2025 alone as the stock price hit record highs.
● Most sales, including those by CEO Jensen Huang, were executed under prearranged “10b5-1” trading plans.
● The sell-off comes as Nvidia’s market capitalization has soared past $3.7 trillion, briefly making it the world’s most valuable company.
A Billion-Dollar Executive Sell-Off
As Nvidia’s stock has surged to record highs on the back of the artificial intelligence boom, the company’s top executives and board members have been cashing in. In the past 12 months, key insiders have sold more than $1 billion worth of Nvidia shares, with over $500 million of that total being sold in June 2025 alone.
The sellers include CEO Jensen Huang, who has sold approximately $45 million worth of stock this month, and longtime board members Tench Coxe and Mark Stevens. The sheer scale of the sell-off has prompted questions from investors about the timing and motivation behind the sales.
The 10b5-1 Plan Explained
While the headline numbers are staggering, the context is crucial. The vast majority of these sales were not spontaneous decisions but were executed as part of pre-scheduled trading plans, known as Rule 10b5-1 plans. These plans, which must be established months in advance, allow corporate insiders to sell a predetermined number of shares at a predetermined time or price. They serve as a defense against accusations of trading on non-public information.
According to Ben Silverman, vice president of research at VerityData, the recent surge in Nvidia’s share price past the $150 mark likely “triggered the sales under Huang’s plan,” which he set up in March 2025. This suggests the sales are more a result of prudent, long term financial planning than a sudden lack of confidence in the company.
Cashing In on a Market Peak
The timing of the sales
coincides with Nvidia’s historic market performance. Fueled by insatiable demand for its AI chips, the company’s market capitalization has soared to approximately $3.76 trillion, briefly surpassing tech giants Microsoft and Apple to become the world’s most valuable company.
The stock sales have allowed executives, whose compensation is heavily tied to equity, to realize some of the massive paper gains they have accumulated during this “Golden Wave” of AI investment, as some analysts have dubbed it.
Despite the large insider sales, market sentiment on Nvidia remains overwhelmingly bullish. As reported by The Economic Times, Loop Capital recently reiterated its “buy” rating on the stock and raised its price target from $175 to $250, indicating that Wall Street views the insider selling as routine and not a signal of trouble ahead.
