Have Insiders Been Buying County Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ICBK) Shares?
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We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So before you buy or sell County Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ICBK), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.
What Is Insider Buying?
Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock on the market. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.
Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own company’s stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'.
Check out our latest analysis for County Bancorp
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At County Bancorp
In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Patrick Roe bought US$76k worth of shares at a price of US$17.60 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being US$17.55). While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price.
In the last twelve months insiders paid US$251k for 13400 shares purchased. While County Bancorp insiders bought shares last year, they didn't sell. 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.
County Bancorp Insiders Bought Stock Recently
It's good to see that County Bancorp insiders have made notable investments in the company's shares. Overall, three insiders shelled out US$129k for shares in the company -- and none sold. That shows some optimism about the company's future.
Insider Ownership of County Bancorp
Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. County Bancorp insiders own about US$28m worth of shares. That equates to 23% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.
So What Do The County Bancorp Insider Transactions Indicate?
It is good to see recent purchasing. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of County Bancorp we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in County Bancorp, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
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 aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
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.
