When a single insider purchases stock, it is typically not a major deal. However, when multiple insiders purchase stock, like in German American Bancorp, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GABC) instance, it's good news for shareholders.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At German American Bancorp

Notably, that recent purchase by Lead Independent Director Thomas Seger was not the only time they bought German American Bancorp shares this year. Earlier in the year, they paid US$29.33 per share in a US$235k purchase. Even though the purchase was made at a significantly lower price than the recent price (US$38.75), we still think insider buying is a positive. While it does suggest insiders consider the stock undervalued at lower prices, this transaction doesn't tell us much about what they think of current prices.

While German American Bancorp insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. 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!

German American Bancorp 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.

German American Bancorp Insiders Bought Stock Recently

Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider buying at German American Bancorp. Overall, eight insiders shelled out US$420k for shares in the company -- and none sold. That shows some optimism about the company's future.

Insider Ownership Of German American Bancorp

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. German American Bancorp insiders own about US$57m worth of shares. That equates to 5.0% of the company. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

So What Do The German American Bancorp Insider Transactions Indicate?

It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of German American Bancorp we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. Therefore, you should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for German American Bancorp.

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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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.