New York, Jan 6, 2026, 21:13 EST — Market closed
- Astera Labs shares fell 3.6% on Tuesday, extending a two-day slide.
- A regulatory filing showed the company’s general counsel sold 10,000 shares under a pre-set plan.
- The chip sector rose broadly, with the Philadelphia semiconductor index hitting a new high.
Astera Labs (ALAB.O) shares closed down 3.6% at $161.01 on Tuesday, a second straight decline after a sharp selloff a day earlier. The stock swung between $151.17 and $168.89 in the session as volume rose to about 8.0 million shares.
The move landed as investors continued to crowd into chip names tied to data-center buildouts, pushing the Philadelphia semiconductor index up 2.7% to a fresh high. Astera’s drop, against that backdrop, underscored how quickly sentiment can turn in high-valuation AI infrastructure trades. Reuters
A Form 4 filing on Tuesday showed Philip Mazzara, Astera’s general counsel and secretary, sold 10,000 shares on Jan. 2 for prices ranging from $172.65 to $182.12, leaving him with 137,040 shares. The sales were made under a Rule 10b5-1 plan, a pre-arranged trading program companies use to limit the appearance of trading on nonpublic information. SEC
Astera had already slipped 6.9% on Monday, when it closed at $167.11 after trading as low as $162.53, according to market data. FinancialContent
The filing also comes as bigger chipmakers sharpen their focus on the networking gear that moves data around AI-heavy data centers, a niche where Astera competes. Marvell Technology said it would buy networking equipment provider XConn Technologies for about $540 million, with CEO Matt Murphy calling it a “compelling switching platform” for next-generation AI and cloud data centers. Reuters
Astera sells hardware and software used to ease data, memory and networking bottlenecks in AI and cloud infrastructure, according to its annual filing. That positioning has helped drive outsized swings in the stock as investors try to price demand from large data-center customers. SEC
But insider sales can be routine, particularly when tied to 10b5-1 plans, and they do not by themselves signal a change in business conditions. The bigger risk for bulls is that the next results show slowing orders, margin pressure, or customer digestion after heavy spending.
Investors now turn to Astera’s next earnings update, expected on Feb. 9, for fresh guidance on demand and product ramps heading deeper into 2026. Nasdaq
