Every week, we scan hundreds of SEC Form 4 filings to identify the C-suite open-market stock purchases that stand out. The first quarter of 2026 has been unusually active — we flagged dozens of qualifying insider purchases, and five scored high enough on our multi-factor analysis to be worth a closer look.
Here are the five signals that caught our attention in Q1 2026, ranked by composite score.
Each signal is scored 0–100 using three weighted factors: Fundamental analysis (35%), Financial health (35%), and Technical setup (30%). Scores above 65 receive a BUY rating; above 80 receive STRONG BUY. Below 40 is AVOID.
1. Hamilton Lane (HLNE) — Score: 73.2/100
The filing: COO Andrea Kramer purchased 2,325 shares at $107.53 per share, totaling $250,011. She was one of three executives who bought on the same day — a classic cluster buying event (see our cluster buying deep-dive for why that matters).
Why it stands out: Hamilton Lane is a leading global private markets investment firm. The stock had lost roughly 20% in the four weeks prior to the cluster buy, creating an entry point for insiders who know the business trajectory. The purchases came shortly after Q3 fiscal year 2026 earnings, and the combined cluster across three executives totaled over $2.2M. When the COO and both Co-CEOs all deploy personal capital on the same day into a 20% drawdown, that's the kind of conviction the market often underprices.
2. RLI Corp (RLI) — Score: 72.4/100
The filing: CEO Craig Kliethermes purchased shares totaling $287,250 on January 23, 2026. This was part of a cluster buy — COO Jennifer Klobnak also purchased $115,980 on the same day.
Why it stands out: RLI Corp has delivered 30 consecutive years of underwriting profits — a record virtually unmatched in the specialty insurance industry. They carry an AM Best A++ rating, the highest possible. The CEO's purchase came immediately after a strong Q4 earnings report. With fundamental and financial scores of 90 and 95 respectively, this is one of the highest-quality companies in our entire signal universe. The only drag is the technical score at 55, reflecting a stock that hasn't sold off enough to create a deep value entry — but when a company of this quality sees its CEO buying alongside the COO right after earnings, the technical setup becomes secondary.
3. Uber Technologies (UBER) — Score: 69.6/100
The filing: CFO Balaji Krishnamurthy purchased shares totaling $1,599,780 on February 24, 2026. This is the largest single purchase on our Q1 list by dollar amount.
Why it stands out: Uber doesn't need an introduction, but the filing does. When a CFO — the person with the most intimate knowledge of a company's financial trajectory — puts $1.6M of personal capital into the stock near its monthly trading range low, that's a signal. Uber generated $52B in revenue and $9.8B in free cash flow, and is actively pursuing autonomous vehicle integration. The company has matured from a growth-at-all-costs story into a genuine cash flow machine. The CFO buying at these levels suggests the near-term weakness the market is pricing in isn't reflected in the numbers he's seeing internally.
4. KKR & Co. (KKR) — Score: 69.4/100
The filing: Co-CEO Scott Nuttall purchased shares totaling $4,390,500 on February 27, 2026. This single transaction is the largest dollar-value insider purchase we tracked in Q1 2026.
Why it stands out: Nuttall deployed $4.4M during a 9.26% single-day stock dip — the kind of opportunistic buying you see from executives who view volatility as a chance to add, not a reason to run. Total insider purchases at KKR exceeded $17M in February 2026 alone, creating a massive cluster signal across the firm's leadership. KKR is one of the world's largest alternative asset managers, and when its Co-CEO buys the dip with that kind of conviction, it carries weight. The firm's AUM growth, fee-related earnings trajectory, and balance sheet strength all support the thesis.
5. SoFi Technologies (SOFI) — Score: 67.7/100
The filing: CEO Anthony Noto purchased shares totaling $500,516 on March 17, 2026. This was his second large purchase in two weeks, bringing his recent total to approximately $1.5M.
Why it stands out: SoFi's stock had declined 33% year-to-date at the time of Noto's purchase, and a short-seller report had added further downward pressure. A CEO buying $500K once into that kind of decline is noteworthy; doing it twice in two weeks for a combined $1.5M is a statement. Noto is one of the most closely watched fintech CEOs — a former Goldman Sachs partner and ex-NFL CFO — and his repeat buying at depressed levels suggests he sees a disconnect between the stock price and the underlying business trajectory. The lower technical score of 45 reflects the brutal price action, but the fundamental and financial profiles remain strong.
Q1 2026 summary
| Ticker | Insider Purchase | Score | Rating | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HLNE | $250K | 73.2 | BUY | Financials |
| RLI | $287K | 72.4 | BUY | Financials |
| UBER | $1.60M | 69.6 | BUY | Transportation |
| KKR | $4.39M | 69.4 | BUY | Financials |
| SOFI | $501K | 67.7 | BUY | Financials |
Total insider capital deployed across these five signals: approximately $7M in open-market purchases. What's notable about this Q1 cohort is the concentration in financials — four of the five signals come from the financial sector, and several feature cluster buying patterns where multiple executives bought on the same day. This kind of sector-wide insider conviction during a period of market uncertainty is a pattern worth tracking.
We'll track these positions against the S&P 500 from their respective entry dates and report back on performance in our portfolio tracker.