George Milligan Is The Independent Director of West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) And They Just Picked Up 9.6% More Shares
Potential West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA) shareholders may wish to note that the Independent Director, George Milligan, recently bought US$105k worth of stock, paying US$20.99 for each share. Although the purchase only increased their holding by 9.6%, it is still a solid purchase in our view.
View our latest analysis for West Bancorporation
West Bancorporation Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Notably, that recent purchase by George Milligan is the biggest insider purchase of West Bancorporation shares that we've seen in the last year. That means that even when the share price was higher than US$20.20 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. 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. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels.
While West Bancorporation insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!
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.
Insider Ownership
Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 4.0% of West Bancorporation shares, worth about US$13m. 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 Does This Data Suggest About West Bancorporation Insiders?
The recent insider purchases are heartening. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of West Bancorporation we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. For example - West Bancorporation has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.
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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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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