Credo Technology (CRDO) Stock After Hours on Dec. 12, 2025: Why Shares Fell, Insider-Sale Headlines, Analyst Forecasts, and What to Watch Next

Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd (NASDAQ: CRDO) ended Friday, December 12, 2025 with a sharp pullback—and then did almost nothing after the closing bell.

CRDO closed at $143.91, down $10.56 (-6.84%), and traded essentially flat after hours (roughly $143.88, off about $0.03 late in the evening). ^[1]

That combination—big regular-session selloff, quiet after-hours—often signals a move driven less by a single “after the bell” company headline and more by a stew of positioning, broader tech sentiment, and recent stock-specific catalysts that traders are still digesting.

Below is a full, publication-ready recap of what happened into the close on 12/12/2025, what the latest filings and analyst forecasts say, and what to keep on your radar heading into the next market session.

CRDO after the bell (Dec. 12, 2025): the numbers investors are reacting to

Here’s the clean snapshot from the final print and the extended session:

Close (4:00 p.m. ET, Dec. 12): $143.91 (-6.84%) ^[2]
After-hours (late evening): about $143.88 (fractional decline, effectively unchanged) ^[3]
Day range:$142.35 low / $154.00 high ^[4]
Volume: about 7.8 million shares, notably elevated versus typical sessions ^[5]

Zoom out just a little and the shape of the week becomes clearer: CRDO has been sliding for multiple sessions, moving from $178.94 (Dec. 8 close) down to $143.91 (Dec. 12 close)—a drop of about 19.6% in four sessions. ^[6]

Also notable: the stock remains far below its 52-week high of $213.80, a reminder that CRDO has been extremely volatile even after its blockbuster earnings-driven surge earlier this month. ^[7]

Why did Credo (CRDO) drop so hard on Friday, Dec. 12?

No single “after-hours press release” explains Friday’s move. The evidence points to multiple pressure points hitting at once:

1) A broader AI/semiconductor sentiment wobble hit tech on Dec. 12

Friday wasn’t gentle to tech. A Financial Times market recap described a sharp decline in U.S. tech stocks tied to renewed worry about AI-linked valuations, highlighting a steep drop in Broadcom shares and a broader Nasdaq decline. ^[8]

That matters for CRDO because it often trades as part of the AI infrastructure / data center buildout basket—so when the market’s mood turns from “AI is infinite” to “AI is expensive,” high-multiple names can drop fast.

2) Profit-taking after a huge run (and a huge narrative)

Just days earlier, Credo’s story was the opposite: a blowout quarter and raised outlook helped fuel major upside enthusiasm across the Street. The stock’s violent swings this month fit a familiar pattern in momentum AI infrastructure names: big beat → big rip → volatility + profit-taking → air pockets. ^[9]

3) Insider-sale headlines were already in the tape earlier in the week

The market had fresh reasons to be jumpy about insider activity. Multiple Form 4 filings disclosed meaningful sales—especially from a key executive—based on transactions dated Dec. 8 and filed Dec. 10. ^[10]

Even when insider selling is planned (more on that below), it can still weigh on sentiment in a stock that has recently surged.

4) Mechanical factors: weekly options expiration can amplify moves

December 12 was a Friday—and weekly options expirations routinely increase hedging flows and short-term volatility, especially in high-beta names. This is not “the reason,” but it can be a volume and volatility accelerant when combined with the factors above.

The fundamental backdrop: Credo’s “blowout” quarter is still the core story

To understand why CRDO is so volatile, you have to start with the earnings report that reset expectations.

On December 1, 2025, Credo reported results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2026 (ended Nov. 1, 2025). Highlights included:

Revenue: $268.0 million (+20.2% QoQ, +272.1% YoY) ^[11]
Non-GAAP gross margin: 67.7% ^[12]
GAAP net income: $82.6 million; Non-GAAP net income: $127.8 million ^[13]
Non-GAAP EPS: $0.67 ^[14]
Cash and short-term investments: $813.6 million ^[15]

Management explicitly tied performance to the continued expansion of massive AI systems, saying the quarter reflected the ongoing buildout of the world’s largest AI training and inference clusters. ^[16]

That “AI picks-and-shovels” positioning is exactly what made CRDO a market favorite—and exactly what makes it vulnerable when the market decides to interrogate AI-linked valuations.

Insider trading updates: what the Form 4 filings actually show

Insider selling is not automatically bearish (executives sell for taxes, diversification, pre-set plans, etc.). But the details matter, and the details were fresh in December.

Director sale: Manpreet Khaira (filed Dec. 10; transaction dated Dec. 8)

A Form 4 shows Director Manpreet Khaira sold 2,000 ordinary shares on 12/08/2025 at $175.00 per share, and reported direct ownership of 58,114 shares after the transaction. ^[17]

CTO sale: Chi Fung Cheng (filed Dec. 10; transaction dated Dec. 8)

A separate Form 4 shows Chi Fung Cheng (listed as officer/director, Chief Technology Officer) reported multiple sales tranches on 12/08/2025 across a range of prices in the high-$160s to about $180, with explanatory notes stating the sales were made pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan adopted earlier. ^[18]

That 10b5-1 detail is important: these plans are designed to reduce the appearance of trading on non-public information by setting rules in advance. Still, traders often react first and read footnotes later.

Another director filing: Sylvia Acevedo (filed Dec. 9)

A Form 4 for Sylvia Acevedo shows a sale of 1,875 shares on 12/05/2025 (at $185.17) and a subsequent reported transaction on 12/08/2025. ^[19]

Why this matters for Dec. 12: When a stock is richly valued and momentum-driven, insider-sale headlines can become a convenient narrative hook for short-term sellers—even if the underlying business outlook hasn’t changed.

Analyst forecasts and price targets: still bullish overall, but the range is wide

Despite the December pullback, most published analyst summaries still show bullish positioning—but with meaningful disagreement on upside vs. valuation risk.

Street consensus (compiled targets and ratings)

MarketBeat’s Dec. 12 roundup described a consensus “Buy” stance and cited an average price target around $206.85, while listing multiple firms that raised targets after earnings (including Mizuho, Barclays, and others). ^[20]

A separate MarketBeat institutional-ownership piece also repeated the $206.85 average target and referenced recent target lifts as high as the $240–$250 zone from some firms. ^[21]

Bank of America: raised target to $240 (published Dec. 2)

Investing.com reported that BofA Securities raised its price target to $240 from $165, maintaining a Buy rating and calling Credo a top small/mid-cap pick among AI-leveraged selections. ^[22]

BofA’s thesis, as summarized there, leaned on:

Execution in new customer adoption,
Ongoing Active Electrical Cable (AEC) ramps at multiple hyperscalers,
Longer-term product diversification. ^[23]

One-year target revisions: a higher “average,” higher “high-end”

A Nasdaq-hosted summary (using aggregated targets) said the average one-year price target had been revised to $219.11, with a stated range from $136.35 to $262.50. ^[24]

Investing.com consensus snapshot: strong buy, but a very low bear-case number

Investing.com’s CRDO page listed an average target around $214.27, with a high estimate of $250 and a low estimate of $72, and an overall “Strong Buy” rating count. ^[25]

How to read this without getting hypnotized by numbers:
Price targets are not promises; they are scenario-weighted opinions. The “wide range” is a signal that CRDO is being valued less like a slow-and-steady networking supplier and more like a high-growth AI infrastructure play—where small changes in assumed growth and margins can move “fair value” a lot.

The technical setup: key levels traders are watching after the Dec. 12 close

Whether you love or hate technical analysis, you can’t deny one thing: other market participants trade it, which makes it relevant.

From MarketBeat’s Dec. 12 report:

50-day moving average: about $156.73
200-day moving average: about $126.20 ^[26]

With CRDO closing at $143.91, the stock is below its 50-day but still above its 200-day, a common “tug-of-war” zone where investors debate whether this is a reset or something uglier. ^[27]

Other near-term reference points:

Support area: Friday’s intraday low around $142.35 ^[28]
Resistance area: the $154–$157 region (Friday’s high near $154 and the 50-day average near $156.7) ^[29]

Also, MarketBeat listed CRDO’s beta around 2.63, which is a polite mathematical way of saying: “this thing can move.” ^[30]

“Before the market open” on Dec. 13, 2025: one key reality check

December 13, 2025 is a Saturday. U.S. stock markets (including Nasdaq) are closed.

So there is no regular-session “open” for CRDO on 12/13/2025. The next normal U.S. session is Monday, December 15, 2025.

That said, the practical question still stands: what should investors know before the next trading day? Here’s the checklist that matters most.

What to watch next for Credo (CRDO) before the next trading session

1) Any weekend or Monday-morning shifts in AI/semiconductor sentiment

Friday’s tape was influenced by broader AI valuation nerves in mega-cap semis and tech. If that narrative worsens—or reverses—high-beta infrastructure names like CRDO can swing hard with it. ^[31]

2) More Form 4 filings or follow-on insider headlines

You now have multiple December Form 4s in the record (including a director sale and the CTO sale tied to a 10b5-1 plan). Markets will be watching whether selling headlines continue—or fade. ^[32]

3) Analyst notes after a sharp pullback

Big down days often trigger a new wave of research commentary: some analysts defend the long-term thesis; others flag valuation and customer concentration risk. With targets ranging widely and CRDO trading far below its recent highs, Monday could bring fresh reactions.

4) Options positioning and implied volatility

CRDO options activity tends to rise around earnings and big price swings. Elevated implied volatility is common in names with CRDO’s recent behavior—useful as a sentiment gauge heading into the next session. ^[33]

5) The “big risk” investors shouldn’t forget: customer concentration

Credo’s growth is linked to hyperscalers and major customers. In a company filing, Credo has disclosed that revenue can be highly concentrated (for example, noting that in fiscal 2025 the top 10 customers accounted for about 90% of revenue and one customer accounted for 67%). ^[34]

That doesn’t negate the bull case—but it explains why the stock can react violently to any hint of demand normalization, procurement timing changes, or competitive threats.

6) Whether the market re-centers on fundamentals (growth + margins) rather than tape action

Credo’s latest reported quarter featured extreme growth plus strong margins and profitability—rare attributes that can reassert themselves after a momentum unwind. ^[35]

If the broader tape stabilizes, that fundamental profile is often what brings longer-term buyers back off the sidelines.

Bottom line

CRDO’s -6.84% plunge on Dec. 12, 2025 and the flat after-hours action tell a story of a stock caught between two forces:

A powerful fundamental narrative (AI-driven connectivity demand, record revenue growth, strong margins, raised expectations), and
A brutally volatile market regime where AI-adjacent valuations, insider-sale headlines, and positioning can dominate price in the short run.

The next real “open” catalyst isn’t Saturday—it’s Monday’s premarket tone and the broader semiconductor/AI narrative. And given CRDO’s recent beta-like behavior, traders should expect that macro sentiment plus any incremental filings or analyst notes can move the stock quickly.

References