Shares of loanDepot surged 8.9% to $1.06 on August 28 after SEC filings revealed that founder and CEO Anthony Hsieh scooped up shares of his own company in a rapid-fire buying spree spanning four days. Hsieh purchased 38,612 shares on August 27 at $0.94, 284,349 shares on August 26 at $0.89, and made additional purchases on August 24 and 25 — together representing a significant increase in insider exposure.

A separate report indicated Hsieh bought more than 471,000 shares through the JLSSAA Trust, adding to the impression that a major insider is supporting the stock at sub-$1 prices.

  • The Man Who Sold Millions Is Now Buying Back In. The timing is striking. In the prior six months, Hsieh had made zero purchases and 13 sales, unloading 5.6 million shares for roughly $14.5 million. That reversal — from net seller to aggressive buyer — is the kind of signal insider-trading trackers flag as meaningful. But $431,000 is pocket change for a founder who is LDI's largest individual shareholder, owning 130.84 million shares representing 39% of the company. The purchase amounts to roughly 0.2% of his total stake.

  • A Sub-$1 Stock With Real Revenue but No Profits. LoanDepot is not a shell company. Q2 2026 net revenue hit $337.3 million, up from $282.5 million a year earlier, while net loss narrowed to $4.5 million from $13.4 million.

Unit volume grew 25% quarter-over-quarter, driven by home equity lending, and purchase market share rose 33%. The problem: the company remains unprofitable, posting a $42 million net loss for the first half of 2026.

  • Analysts Are Not Convinced. According to four analysts, the average rating for LDI is "Sell," with a 12-month price target of $1.25.

Goldman Sachs maintains a Sell rating and in July lowered its target from $2.10 to $1.25.

Retail activist firm Randian Capital has publicly called on the board to review strategic alternatives, noting the stock has declined more than 90% since its 2021 IPO at $14.

  • The Real Question Is Whether This Insider Buy Signals a Floor. Risk models assign LDI a 66% probability of financial distress.

Short interest sits at 16 million shares, requiring over nine days to cover. A founder buying at $0.91 sends a psychological message, but with a market cap near $390 million and persistent losses, it will take consecutive profitable quarters — not one week of insider purchases — to rebuild investor confidence.