Chewy Rises 0.43% as Institutions Pour $16.48B Into Top 500 Volume Stock Amid $1.25B Insider Sell-Off

On August 25, 2025, Chewy (CHWY) traded higher by 0.43% despite a 21.86% decline in daily trading volume to $0.22 billion. Institutional ownership data revealed mixed activity, with 334 buyers adding $16.48 billion in inflows over the past 12 months, while 157 sellers accounted for $2.66 billion in outflows. Recent filings highlighted significant shifts, including Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s 220.7% increase in holdings and Pembroke Management LTD’s 20.6% reduction. Other notable changes included Central Trust Co’s 48.8% stake growth and Allworth Financial LP’s 71.7% purchase surge.

Insider transactions added complexity to the stock’s dynamics. CTO Satish Mehta sold 8,727 shares, reducing his ownership by 3.06%, while CAO William G. Billings offloaded 20,142 shares, cutting his stake by 40.60%. Over 90 days, insiders sold 30 million shares valued at $1.25 billion, representing 0.43% of total shares. These moves contrasted with broader institutional buying, as entities like Quantbot Technologies LP acquired $3.59 million in shares during Q1 2025.

Recent earnings reported on June 11 showed Chewy’s Q2 EPS at $0.35, exceeding estimates, with revenue rising 6.3% year-over-year to $3.12 billion. Analysts have upgraded the stock, with Barclays setting a $50 price target and Guggenheim raising its objective to $45. The stock now carries a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average target of $43.78. However, mixed institutional activity and insider sales highlight ongoing volatility amid strategic shifts in investor sentiment.

The backtesting strategy of purchasing the top 500 volume stocks and holding for one day from 2022 to 2025 yielded a 31.52% total return over 365 days, with a 0.98% average daily gain. Performance peaked at 7.02% in June 2023 but dropped to -4.65% in September 2022, reflecting market-driven fluctuations. The approach demonstrated positive momentum but remained subject to short-term volatility.