Potential Citizens, Inc. (NYSE:CIA) shareholders may wish to note that the President CEO & Director, Jon Stenberg, recently bought US$200k worth of stock, paying US$3.99 for each share. That's a very decent purchase to our minds and it grew their holding by a solid 11%.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Citizens

In fact, the recent purchase by President CEO & Director Jon Stenberg was not their only acquisition of Citizens shares this year. They previously made an even bigger purchase of US$235k worth of shares at a price of US$4.70 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of US$3.97. It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels.

In the last twelve months Citizens insiders were buying shares, but not selling. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of undervalued small cap companies that insiders are buying.

Insider Ownership

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. From our data, it seems that Citizens insiders own 2.7% of the company, worth about US$5.5m. We do note, however, it is possible insiders have an indirect interest through a private company or other corporate structure. We do generally prefer see higher levels of insider ownership.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Citizens Insiders?

It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. We would certainly prefer see higher levels of insider ownership but analysis of the insider transactions suggests that Citizens insiders are expecting a bright future. Therefore, you should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for Citizens.

But note: Citizens 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.