When insiders buy after a selloff, the signal gets louder.
That is especially true when the buyers are not obscure directors making tiny symbolic purchases, but top executives stepping in after volatility, activist pressure, or public criticism. That is what is happening now in Palo Alto Networks, SoFi, and Salesforce. In all three cases, the people closest to the numbers are buying into weakness, not waiting for the chart to feel better first.
That does not make any of these stocks automatic buys.
But it does make them worth a closer look. One is a cybersecurity leader whose CEO just spent about $10 million buying stock after a sharp dip. One is a fintech name where insiders and analysts both leaned bullish after a post-earnings slide. One is a software heavyweight where directors are buying while the stock is still trying to stabilize.
The Biggest Vote of Confidence
Company: Palo Alto Networks (SYM: PANW)
Cybersecurity leader seeing a major CEO buy after a rough start to the year.
This is the clearest insider signal of the group.
On March 27, CEO Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares at prices ranging from $146.46 to $147.48, for a total purchase of roughly $10.0 million. Barron’s noted it was Arora’s first open-market stock purchase since becoming CEO in 2018, which makes the message harder to ignore. PANW was trading around $159.71 on March 31.
That buy came as the stock was already under pressure.
The broader software trade has been weak, and Palo Alto also got caught up in fears that AI-driven cyber threats could change the competitive landscape. But that same shift is also a tailwind for the company. Recent analyst commentary pointed to rising demand for AI-driven cybersecurity, and Wells Fargo initiated coverage with an Overweight rating and a $200 price target, arguing the recent dislocation offers exposure to several major secular cybersecurity trends at a better entry point.
There is another piece investors should not ignore.
Salesforce-style buybacks get the attention, but Palo Alto also recently expanded its repurchase program. Public reporting around insider and analyst updates noted the company approved an additional $1 billion authorization, adding to earlier buyback capacity. That does not remove risk. But it does reinforce the same message as the CEO purchase: management thinks the stock is undervalued here.
The Fintech Pullback
Company: SoFi Technologies (SYM: SOFI)
Fast-growing fintech seeing insider buying and fresh analyst support after a post-earnings drop.
SoFi is the more classic “buy the dip” insider story.
After the company sold off following earnings, General Counsel Robert Lavet bought 5,000 shares at $21.04 on February 6, and executive Eric Schuppenhauer bought 5,000 shares at $19.93 on February 5. Those are not giant buys in dollar terms, but they are still useful because they came right into weakness. SoFi was trading around $15.94 on March 31, below where both insiders stepped in.
The analyst backdrop improved too.
JPMorgan upgraded SoFi to Overweight from Neutral and put a $31 price target on the stock. The bank said the company’s momentum was “undeniable,” citing record member and deposit growth, a nearly $40 billion loan portfolio, and upside from fee income tied to its tech platform and expanding financial-services offerings. That kind of support matters because it means the insider buying is not standing alone.
The stock still comes with real risk.
This is a growth-heavy financial stock, and those names can stay out of favor for longer than bulls expect. But SoFi’s business is not standing still. Fourth-quarter results showed revenue just over $1.0 billion, EPS of $0.13, and member growth to 13.7 million. So if investors want a name where the insiders and the Street both see a better setup than the current chart suggests, SoFi belongs in that conversation.
The Blue-Chip Software Buy
Company: Salesforce (SYM: CRM)
Software heavyweight seeing insider support while the stock remains under pressure.
Salesforce is the calmer version of the same idea.
The stock has had a rough year, and that is exactly when two directors stepped in. On March 19, director Laura Alber bought 2,571 shares at about $194.58, for roughly $500,265. One day earlier, director David Blair Kirk bought 2,570 shares at about $194.62, for roughly $500,173. Salesforce was trading around $187.12 on March 31, so both directors are still sitting below their purchase prices.
That is what makes these buys interesting.
This was not momentum chasing. It was buying while the stock was still under pressure. Reporting tied to those purchases also pointed to Salesforce’s large repurchase authorization and a still-bullish analyst view, with consensus price targets well above current levels. The directors may not know where the stock trades next week, but they are clearly willing to buy while sentiment is still weak.
The business itself is not falling apart.
Recent reporting around the insider purchases referenced stronger-than-expected quarterly results and forward EPS guidance, even if the stock has struggled to get credit for it. That is often where insider buying matters most: when the operating story looks better than the chart. Salesforce is still a mature software giant, not a speculative flyer, which makes the director buying here easier to respect.
Bottom line:
PANW has the strongest insider signal because the CEO just bought about $10 million worth of stock.
SOFI has the clearest buy-the-dip setup, with both insiders and JPMorgan leaning bullish.
CRM has the blue-chip version of insider support, with two directors buying while the stock is still under pressure.
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Written by Ian Cooper