Did Bank of South Carolina Corporation (NASDAQ:BKSC) Insiders Buy Up More Shares?
We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Bank of South Carolina Corporation (NASDAQ:BKSC).
What Is Insider Buying?
It's quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.
We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.'
Check out our latest analysis for Bank of South Carolina
Bank of South Carolina Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
President Fleetwood Hassell made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$189k worth of shares at a price of US$18.92 each. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of US$18.55. It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when insiders have purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price.
Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$2.4m for 130k shares. But they sold 2601.19 for US$50k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Bank of South Carolina insiders. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!
There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.
Bank of South Carolina Insiders Bought Stock Recently
Over the last three months, we've seen significantly more insider buying, than insider selling, at Bank of South Carolina. In fact, five insiders bought US$1.1m worth of shares. But insiders only sold shares worth US$11k. Insiders have spent more buying shares than they have selling, so on balance we think they are are probably optimistic.
Does Bank of South Carolina Boast High Insider Ownership?
I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Insiders own 21% of Bank of South Carolina shares, worth about US$22m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.
So What Do The Bank of South Carolina Insider Transactions Indicate?
It is good to see recent purchasing. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of Bank of South Carolina we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can find historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph.
If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.
For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.
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If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.