
We note that the Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBK) Independent Director, Robert Abernethy, recently sold US$50k worth of stock for US$41.75 per share. However we note that the sale only shrunk their holding by 1.9%.
Notably, that recent sale by Robert Abernethy is the biggest insider sale of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina shares that we've seen in the last year. So it's clear an insider wanted to take some cash off the table, even below the current price of US$43.02. When an insider sells below the current price, it suggests that they considered that lower price to be fair. That makes us wonder what they think of the (higher) recent valuation. However, while insider selling is sometimes discouraging, it's only a weak signal. This single sale was just 1.9% of Robert Abernethy's stake.
Insiders in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina didn't buy any shares in the last year. 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!
See our latest analysis for Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina
I will like Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of undervalued and small cap stocks with considerable, recent, insider buying.
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. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina insiders own about US$25m worth of shares. That equates to 11% 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.
Insiders sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. On the plus side, Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina makes money, and is growing profits. Insider ownership isn't particularly high, so this analysis makes us cautious about the company. So we'd only buy after careful consideration. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. You'd be interested to know, that we found 2 warning signs for Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina and we suggest you have a look.
If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity 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 of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.
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