Don't Ignore The Insider Selling In Northfield Bancorp (Staten Island NY)

Anyone interested in Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (Staten Island, NY) (NASDAQ:NFBK) should probably be aware that the Independent Director, Gil Chapman, recently divested US$131k worth of shares in the company, at an average price of US$11.89 each. That sale was 15% of their holding, so it does make us raise an eyebrow.

View our latest analysis for Northfield Bancorp (Staten Island NY)

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Northfield Bancorp (Staten Island NY)

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Independent Director, Annette Catino, sold US$289k worth of shares at a price of US$13.12 per share. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. The silver lining is that this sell-down took place above the latest price (US$11.38). So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price. Notably Annette Catino was also the biggest buyer, having purchased US$598k worth of shares.

In the last twelve months insiders purchased 75.85k shares for US$598k. But insiders sold 33.30k shares worth US$423k. Overall, Northfield Bancorp (Staten Island NY) insiders were net buyers during the last year. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

Northfield Bancorp (Staten Island NY) is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find small cap companies at attractive valuations, this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Does Northfield Bancorp (Staten Island NY) Boast High 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. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that Northfield Bancorp (Staten Island NY) insiders own 5.0% of the company, worth about US$24m. 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 Northfield Bancorp (Staten Island NY) Tell Us?

Insiders sold Northfield Bancorp (Staten Island NY) shares recently, but they didn't buy any. But we take heart from prior transactions. We like that insiders own a fair amount of the company. So the recent selling doesn't worry us too much. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Northfield Bancorp (Staten Island NY). You'd be interested to know, that we found 1 warning sign for Northfield Bancorp (Staten Island NY) 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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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.