Yahoo Finance Need To Know: Camden National Corporation (NASDAQ:CAC) Insiders Have Been Buying Shares
It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So before you buy or sell Camden National Corporation (NASDAQ:CAC), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.
What Is Insider Selling?
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, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.
Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.'
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Camden National Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Director Carl Soderberg made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$110k worth of shares at a price of US$36.71 each. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price of US$43.82. 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. While we always like to see insider buying, it's less meaningful if the purchases were made at much lower prices, as the opportunity they saw may have passed. In this case we're pleased to report that the insider purchases were made at close to current prices.
In the last twelve months insiders purchased 6297 shares for US$219k. On the other hand they divested 4573 shares, for US$175k. Overall, Camden National insiders were net buyers last year. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!
There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).
Camden National Insiders Bought Stock Recently
At Camden National,over the last quarter, we have observed quite a lot more insider buying than insider selling. In total, four insiders bought US$105k worth of shares in that time. But we did see President Gregory Dufour sell shares worth US$54k. The buying outweighs the selling, which suggests that insiders may believe the company will do well in the future.
Insider Ownership
Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 2.4% of Camden National shares, worth about US$16m. 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 Do The Camden National Insider Transactions Indicate?
It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest Camden National insiders are well aligned, and that they may think the share price is too low. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in Camden National, 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.
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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.
