From what we can see, insiders were net sellers in BancFirst Corporation's (NASDAQ:BANF ) during the past 12 months. That is, insiders sold the stock in greater numbers than they purchased it.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

BancFirst Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent sale by D. Hannah is the biggest insider sale of BancFirst shares that we've seen in the last year. That means that an insider was selling shares at around the current price of US$87.72. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold 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).

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 7.91k shares worth US$596k. On the other hand they divested 13.00k shares, for US$1.2m. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

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Insiders At BancFirst Have Sold Stock Recently

There was substantially more insider selling, than buying, of BancFirst shares over the last three months. We note insider D. Hannah cashed in US$1.2m worth of shares. Meanwhile Director Darryl Schmidt bought US$23k worth. Because the selling vastly outweighs the buying, we'd say this is a somewhat bearish sign.

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. BancFirst insiders own 34% of the company, currently worth about US$974m based on the recent share price. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About BancFirst Insiders?

The insider sales have outweighed the insider buying, at BancFirst, in the last three months. Despite some insider buying, the longer term picture doesn't make us feel much more positive. But since BancFirst is profitable and growing, we're not too worried by this. It is good to see high insider ownership, but the insider selling leaves us cautious. 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. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for BancFirst you should be aware of, and 1 of them is a bit concerning.

But note: BancFirst may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE 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.