When insiders buy stock in their own company, it's supposed to mean something. But which insider buys actually matter? CNBC's Jim Cramer has a take on that, and it involves Nike Inc. (NKE) and a former Intel Corp. (INTC) CEO you might not expect.
The Buy That Deserves More Attention
Sure, Apple Inc. (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook's $3 million Nike stock purchase grabbed headlines. But Cramer took to X to point out a smaller transaction that might actually be more revealing: Nike Director Bob Swan's acquisition of roughly 8,700 shares.
Why does this matter? Swan isn't just any board member. As the former CEO and CFO of Intel, he's what Cramer calls "quite savvy about finance." When someone with that kind of financial expertise puts their own money into a stock, it suggests a carefully calculated bet rather than a symbolic gesture.
Cramer sees something unusual happening here: a convergence of purchases from Swan, Cook, and Nike CEO Elliott Hill. This "trifecta" of insider buying, he argues, typically signals that the people closest to the business believe something good is coming.
Three Insiders, One Message
The timing of these purchases tells its own story. Cook recently bought 50,000 shares—marking his first open-market purchase in two decades on Nike's board. That's the kind of detail that makes you pay attention. Swan acquired 8,691 shares at an average price of $57.54.
"You don't often see three insiders buy unless the next year is going to be a great one," Cramer noted. He pointed to Nike's "Win Now" strategy in China as a potential catalyst, describing the company's leadership as a "tremendous, innovative team."
Betting on the Comeback
These insider purchases arrive at a moment when Nike could use some good news. The stock has dropped 13.52% in 2025, pressured by tariff concerns and losing momentum. Over the past six months, shares have fallen 16.60%.
The stock closed 4.12% higher on the last trading day of 2025 at $63.71 per share. Technical indicators show weaker price trends across short, medium, and long-term timeframes, with underwhelming quality metrics overall.
But CEO Elliott Hill has characterized the company as being in the "middle innings" of its turnaround. When key directors start putting their own capital on the line during that kind of recovery story, Cramer believes it signals something important: that the people with the best view of Nike's business think the worst may be over.
Whether Swan's financial acumen and Cook's rare purchase prove prescient remains to be seen. But in Cramer's view, this combination of insider activity is too significant to ignore. When executives who've been around the block put real money into a turnaround story, it's at least worth asking why they're willing to bet on it.