Don't Ignore The Insider Selling In FS Bancorp
We'd be surprised if FS Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSBW) shareholders haven't noticed that an insider, Benjamin Crowl, recently sold US$236k worth of stock at US$43.78 per share. That sale was 21% of their holding, so it does make us raise an eyebrow.
FS Bancorp Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
In fact, the recent sale by Benjamin Crowl was the biggest sale of FS Bancorp shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of US$43.00. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place at a lower price. In this case, the big sale took place at around the current price, so it's not too bad (but it's still not a positive).
In the last year FS Bancorp insiders didn't buy any company stock. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!
View our latest analysis for FS Bancorp
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Does FS Bancorp Boast High Insider Ownership?
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. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. FS Bancorp insiders own about US$32m worth of shares. That equates to 9.5% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.
So What Do The FS Bancorp Insider Transactions Indicate?
Insiders haven't bought FS Bancorp stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. We're in no rush to buy! So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. At Simply Wall St, we found 1 warning sign for FS Bancorp that deserve your attention before buying any shares.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting 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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