Some Stock Yards Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SYBT) shareholders may be a little concerned to see that the Independent Director, David Heintzman, recently sold a substantial US$660k worth of stock at a price of US$66.00 per share. However, that sale only accounted for 7.4% of their holding, so arguably it doesn't say much about their conviction.

Stock Yards Bancorp Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent sale by David Heintzman is the biggest insider sale of Stock Yards Bancorp shares that we've seen in the last year. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of US$65.43. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. We note that this sale took place at around the current price, so it isn't a major concern, though it's hardly a good sign.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 1.10k shares worth US$58k. But they sold 45.37k shares for US$2.5m. All up, insiders sold more shares in Stock Yards Bancorp than they bought, over 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!

I will like Stock Yards Bancorp better if I see some big insider buys.

Insider Ownership Of Stock Yards Bancorp

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It's great to see that Stock Yards Bancorp insiders own 8.2% of the company, worth about US$159m. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Stock Yards Bancorp Tell Us?

Unfortunately, there has been more insider selling of Stock Yards Bancorp stock, than buying, in the last three months. Zooming out, the longer term picture doesn't give us much comfort. While insiders do own a lot of shares in the company (which is good), our analysis of their transactions doesn't make us feel confident about the company. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Stock Yards Bancorp. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 1 warning sign with Stock Yards Bancorp and understanding it should be part of your investment process.

But note: Stock Yards Bancorp 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.

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.