Have Insiders Sold Brookline Bancorp Shares Recently?

Anyone interested in Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL) should probably be aware that the Chief Operations Officer, James Cosman, recently divested US$160k worth of shares in the company, at an average price of US$10.00 each. That sale was 18% of their holding, so it does make us raise an eyebrow.

See our latest analysis for Brookline Bancorp

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Brookline Bancorp

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Independent Director Bogdan Nowak bought US$268k worth of shares at a price of US$10.77 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher than US$9.90 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. 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. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$427k for 44.00k shares. But they sold 19.50k shares for US$192k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Brookline Bancorp insiders. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

Brookline Bancorp is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Does Brookline 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. It appears that Brookline Bancorp insiders own 3.1% of the company, worth about US$27m. 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 Brookline Bancorp Insider Transactions Indicate?

An insider sold Brookline Bancorp shares recently, but they didn't buy any. On the other hand, the insider transactions over the last year are encouraging. And insiders do own shares. So we're happy enough to look past some selling. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Brookline Bancorp. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 2 warning signs with Brookline Bancorp and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

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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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.