Have Insiders Sold BancFirst Shares Recently?

Some BancFirst Corporation (NASDAQ:BANF) shareholders may be a little concerned to see that insider D. Hannah recently sold a substantial US$1.2m worth of stock at a price of US$89.12 per share. That sale reduced their total holding by 30% which is hardly insignificant, but far from the worst we've seen.

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BancFirst Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent sale by D. Hannah was the biggest sale of BancFirst shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. So what is clear is that an insider saw fit to sell at around the current price of US$87.42. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. We note that this sale took place at around the current price, so it isn't a major concern, though it's hardly a good sign.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$596k for 7.91k shares. But they sold 13.00k shares for US$1.2m. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

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Insider Ownership Of BancFirst

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It's great to see that BancFirst insiders own 34% of the company, worth about US$990m. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At BancFirst Tell Us?

Unfortunately, there has been more insider selling of BancFirst stock, than buying, in the last three months. Despite some insider buying, the longer term picture doesn't make us feel much more positive. But it is good to see that BancFirst is growing earnings. The company boasts high insider ownership, but we're a little hesitant, given the history of share sales. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. At Simply Wall St, we've found that BancFirst has 2 warning signs (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.

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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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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.