Investors may wish to note that the Independent Vice Chairman of the Board of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc., James Abernethy, recently netted US$62k from selling stock, receiving an average price of US$31.19. However we note that the sale only shrunk their holding by 1.6%.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent sale by Independent Vice Chairman of the Board James Abernethy was not the only time they sold Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina shares this year. They previously made an even bigger sale of -US$108k worth of shares at a price of US$27.12 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to take some cash off the table, even below the current price of US$30.86. We generally consider it a negative if insiders have been selling, especially if they did so below the current price, because it implies that they considered a lower price to be reasonable. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. We note that the biggest single sale was only 2.0%of James Abernethy's holding.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$68k for 3.48k shares. But insiders sold 13.00k shares worth US$331k. James Abernethy divested 13.00k shares over the last 12 months at an average price of US$25.44. 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!

I will like Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Does Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Boast High Insider Ownership?

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 13% of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina shares, worth about US$22m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Tell Us?

An insider sold Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina shares recently, but they didn't buy any. And our longer term analysis of insider transactions didn't bring confidence, either. But it is good to see that Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina is growing earnings. Insider ownership isn't particularly high, so this analysis makes us cautious about the company. We're in no rush to buy! So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. You'd be interested to know, that we found 2 warning signs for Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina 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.