NEW YORK, Jan 3, 2026, 11:26 ET — Market closed
- Intuit closed down 5% on Friday, underperforming a mostly steady U.S. market on the first trading day of 2026.
- SEC filings showed director Scott D. Cook sold about 151,000 shares over Dec. 29-31 under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan.
- Investors now look to next week’s U.S. jobs and inflation data, plus Intuit’s tax-season execution and upcoming shareholder and dividend dates.
Intuit Inc. shares fell 5% in the first session of 2026, ending Friday at $629.46. The stock traded as low as $622.31 and as high as $665.02, with volume of about 2.7 million shares.
The drop mattered because it landed just as investors reset positioning for the new year and ahead of the U.S. tax season, when Intuit’s TurboTax business typically becomes a major focus for traders. The move also stood out on a day when major U.S. indexes were little changed.
The selling pressure coincided with a flurry of insider-trading disclosures. Form 4 filings are the SEC reports corporate insiders use to disclose stock transactions, and they can draw attention when large holders sell.
A Form 4 published on Dec. 30 showed director Scott D. Cook sold 75,000 shares on Dec. 29 through a family trust, in multiple transactions at weighted average prices in the low-to-high $670s, the filing showed.
A second Form 4 published on Dec. 31 showed Cook sold another 75,000 shares on Dec. 30 in multiple transactions priced roughly between $669 and $674, the filing showed.
A third Form 4 published on Jan. 2 reported a further 1,402 shares sold on Dec. 31 at $668.02. Cook’s trust still held about 5.67 million shares after the Dec. 31 sale, the filing showed.
The filings said the sales were made under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan adopted on Sept. 3, 2025. A 10b5-1 plan is a pre-arranged program that allows insiders to sell shares on a set schedule, designed to reduce the risk of trading on nonpublic information.
Intuit’s slide came as U.S. markets ended mixed on Friday. The S&P 500 and Dow closed higher, while the Nasdaq edged lower; the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to about 4.19%, Reuters reported.
Peers in tax prep and payroll also finished lower. H&R Block ended down about 2.2%, while Paychex fell about 3.2% and ADP slipped about 1.7%.
For Intuit, the next fundamental check-in will be its fiscal second-quarter update for the period ending Jan. 31. In its last results in November, Intuit forecast revenue growth of about 14% to 15% for that quarter and projected non-GAAP earnings per share of $3.63 to $3.68.
Investors also have near-term calendar items. A company filing said Intuit’s board approved a quarterly cash dividend of $1.20 per share, payable on Jan. 16 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 9.
Intuit’s investor site lists its annual stockholder meeting for Jan. 22. Any additional disclosures around governance, capital returns or outlook could shape sentiment heading deeper into tax season.
Before trading resumes, traders will be watching whether Intuit can hold above Friday’s low near $622; the stock closed near the bottom of its day range. A bounce back through the mid-$660s would mark an early technical repair after the sharp selloff.
Macro catalysts sit close on the calendar and can move software valuations by shifting interest-rate expectations. Reuters flagged U.S. employment data due Jan. 9 and CPI inflation data due Jan. 13 as key reports early in the month, with strategist Matthew Maley at Miller Tabak saying: “The market is looking for direction.” Reuters
On the company side, Intuit has not yet posted a confirmed date for its next earnings release; last year it scheduled its fiscal second-quarter results call for Feb. 25. In the weeks ahead, investors will look for an updated earnings date and any read-through on demand across TurboTax, QuickBooks and Credit Karma as the quarter closes.
