Zuckerberg Cashes Out $21M in Meta Stock; Insiders Shun Buying

Mark Zuckerberg sold $21.4 million in Meta shares during September, and the stock has since fallen nearly 8%. Despite that decline, Wells Fargo maintains a $1,000 price target, leaving investors to ponder what the insider selling means.

Over the past half-year, Meta executives and directors executed 172 stock trades, all of which were sales.

That might initially appear troubling. But SEC filings suggest the selling probably says little about where Meta's stock is headed.

Look at this.

Meta, $META, insiders have made 172 trades in their own stock over the past six months.

Purchases: zero.

CFO Susan Li: ~$95 million sold
COO Javier Olivan: ~$24 million sold, often every week
Product chief Chris Cox: $13 million sold on Sept. 9
CTO Andrew…

— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) October 10, 2026

Are Meta Insiders Losing Confidence?

On September 24, Zuckerberg sold shares when Meta traded around $778. The stock closed Friday at roughly $719.

Other senior executives, including CFO Susan Li and COO Javier Olivan, have also been offloading shares.

Unusual Whales reported that Olivan sold approximately $24 million in shares through frequent trades.

However, those executives scheduled their sales months ahead under Rule 10b5-1 trading plans.

Some transactions were related to taxes rather than outright selling. One SEC filing explicitly states the transaction “does not represent a sale.”

Zuckerberg still holds a substantial controlling stake in Meta.

Can Meta Stock Still Reach $1,000?

Even after the recent drop, Wells Fargo has set a $1,000 price target for Meta, implying nearly 40% upside.

That optimism depends largely on Meta's AI investments generating stronger revenue growth.

However, Meta's rising spending on AI infrastructure could squeeze profits if returns take longer than expected. Other analysts have less optimistic targets.

For investors, Meta's earnings growth and the financial returns from its AI investments are likely to matter far more than pre-planned insider sales.

The lack of insider purchases may raise questions about executive confidence. But the filings offer little evidence that Meta's leadership is preparing for a stock collapse.