Quite a few insiders invested in Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO) last year which is positive news for shareholders
Usually, when one insider buys stock, it might not be a monumental event. But when multiple insiders are buying like they did in the case of Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO), that sends out a positive message to the company's shareholders.
While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.
View our latest analysis for Peoples Bancorp
Peoples Bancorp Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Independent Non-Employee Director Kevin Reeves bought US$89k worth of shares at a price of US$29.80 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being US$28.97). 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. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels.
In the last twelve months insiders purchased 3.90k shares for US$115k. But they sold 1.43k shares for US$45k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Peoples Bancorp insiders. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and 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!
Peoples Bancorp is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.
Peoples Bancorp Insiders Are Selling The Stock
Over the last three months, we've seen a bit of insider selling at Peoples Bancorp. Executive VP M. Kirkham sold just US$19k worth of shares in that time. Neither the lack of buying nor the presence of selling is heartening. But the selling simply isn't sufficiently substantial to be of much use as a signal.
Does Peoples Bancorp Boast High Insider Ownership?
Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Peoples Bancorp insiders own about US$24m worth of shares. That equates to 3.0% of the company. 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 Peoples Bancorp Insider Transactions Indicate?
While there has not been any insider buying in the last three months, there has been selling. But the sales were small, so we're not concerned. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Insiders own shares in Peoples Bancorp and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in Peoples 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 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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