Yahoo Finance Bullish insiders bet US$787k on West Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:WTBA)
It is usually uneventful when a single insider buys stock. However, When quite a few insiders buy shares, as it happened in West Bancorporation, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:WTBA) case, it's fantastic news for shareholders.
While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.
Check out our latest analysis for West Bancorporation
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At West Bancorporation
In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Executive Officer & Director, Douglas Gulling, sold US$215k worth of shares at a price of US$33.13 per share. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. The silver lining is that this sell-down took place above the latest price (US$23.58). So it is hard to draw any strong conclusion from it. The only individual insider seller over the last year was Douglas Gulling.
Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 25.66k shares worth US$787k. On the other hand they divested 20.00k shares, for US$632k. Overall, West Bancorporation insiders were net buyers during the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!
West Bancorporation 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.
West Bancorporation Insiders Bought Stock Recently
There was some insider buying at West Bancorporation over the last quarter. CEO, President & Director David Nelson purchased US$12k worth of shares in that period. It's great to see that insiders are only buying, not selling. But the amount invested in the last three months isn't enough for us too put much weight on it, as a single factor.
Does West Bancorporation Boast High Insider Ownership?
Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by 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. It appears that West Bancorporation insiders own 3.9% of the company, worth about US$15m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.
So What Does This Data Suggest About West Bancorporation Insiders?
Insider purchases may have been minimal, in the last three months, but there was no selling at all. Overall the buying isn't worth writing home about. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Overall we don't see anything to make us think West Bancorporation insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. 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.
But note: West Bancorporation may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE 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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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.
