This Insider Has Just Sold Shares In First Busey

We'd be surprised if First Busey Corporation (NASDAQ:BUSE) shareholders haven't noticed that the Chairman & CEO, Van Dukeman, recently sold US$389k worth of stock at US$23.54 per share. However, the silver lining is that the sale only reduced their total holding by 6.0%, so we're hesitant to read anything much into it, on its own.

Check out our latest analysis for First Busey

First Busey Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Independent Lead Director Stanley Bradshaw for US$456k worth of shares, at about US$21.90 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price of US$24.31. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. Happily, the First Busey insiders decided to buy shares at close to current prices.

In the last twelve months insiders purchased 87.02k shares for US$1.9m. But they sold 30.40k shares for US$716k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by First Busey insiders. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

First Busey is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of under-the-radar companies with insider buying.

Does First Busey 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 First Busey insiders own 6.2% of the company, worth about US$84m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At First Busey Tell Us?

The stark truth for First Busey is that there has been more insider selling than insider buying in the last three months. In contrast, they appear keener if you look at the last twelve months. And insiders do own shares. So we're not overly bothered by recent selling. 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 - First Busey has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

Of course First Busey may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com