Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest sold roughly $163 million in stocks on Monday, June 16, 2026, to fund continued purchases of SpaceX shares after the rocket company’s record-breaking initial public offering four days earlier.
ARK Invest had aggressively purchased 3.3 million SpaceX shares worth over $500 million across four of its ETFs on June 12, the day SpaceX went public at a $1.75 trillion valuation, according to CoinDesk and Barron’s. The subsequent stock sales were part of a rebalancing strategy to maintain the firm’s risk exposure while doubling down on what Wood views as a transformational investment opportunity.
The sales targeted major tech holdings including Tesla, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and Roku, according to Benzinga and GuruFocus. ARK Invest sold 44,488 Tesla shares valued at approximately $18.3 million, offloaded 38,529 AMD shares worth roughly $16.2 million, and disposed of about 561,800 Roku shares totaling approximately $77.6 million, according to trading disclosures reviewed by multiple outlets.
The SpaceX IPO created unusual market dynamics for ARK’s flagship fund. Bloomberg reported that the $6.9 billion ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) posted a record $4.6 billion inflow in the days before the IPO, as investors sought exposure to SpaceX through the fund. That inflow was followed by a $6.2 billion outflow, the largest in the fund’s history, as traders took profits and arbitraged the position, according to ETF.com and Bloomberg.
ARK Invest had owned SpaceX as a private investment in its Venture Fund before the IPO, with the company representing the fund’s largest holding. According to ARK’s own guidance published in April 2026, the firm projected SpaceX could reach an enterprise value of approximately $2.5 trillion by 2030, generating a 38% compound annual rate of return. When SpaceX went public, ARK immediately became one of the largest public shareholders, building a stake across multiple funds on day one.
Wood’s rebalancing approach reflects her firm’s active management style. Rather than passively holding positions, ARK regularly trims winners and redirects capital to new opportunities aligned with its innovation thesis. The sales of Tesla, AMD, and Roku—all long-time ARK holdings—signal Wood’s assessment that SpaceX’s growth potential justifies reducing exposure to other high-conviction names, at least temporarily. Seeking Alpha noted that the week of June 8–12 saw ARK’s SpaceX exposure increase 17.36% while AMD, Alibaba, Iridium, L3Harris, and Teradyne were trimmed.
The $163 million in sales also came as ARK continued to execute daily trades across its portfolio. On June 18, just two days after the June 16 sales, ARK Invest bought 54,815 Tesla shares worth approximately $21.7 million, according to Intellectia AI, showing that the firm was not exiting its core tech positions but rather adjusting weights to accommodate the SpaceX opportunity.
Sources
- Investor’s Business Daily — ARK Invest sold $163 million in stocks on Monday, June 16, 2026, with major sales in Tesla, AMD, and Roku.
- CoinDesk — ARK Invest purchased 3.3 million SpaceX shares worth more than $500 million on June 12, 2026, SpaceX’s IPO day.
- Barron’s — Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest funds held roughly 3.29 million SpaceX shares by the end of June 12.
- Bloomberg — ARKK posted a record $4.6 billion inflow before recording a $6.2 billion outflow following SpaceX IPO arbitrage trading.
- Benzinga — ARK Invest sold 44,488 Tesla shares and reduced positions in Roku and AMD on June 15–16, 2026.
- GuruFocus — ARK Invest disposed of approximately 561,800 Roku shares valued at $77.6 million.
- ETF.com — ARKK recorded its largest-ever outflow as profit-taking followed the SpaceX IPO inflow.
- Seeking Alpha — ARK’s June 8–12 trades showed SpaceX exposure up 17.36% while AMD, Alibaba, and other names were trimmed.
- Intellectia AI — ARK Invest bought Tesla shares on June 18, showing continued engagement with core tech holdings.
