Potential First Busey Corporation (NASDAQ:BUSE) shareholders may wish to note that the Independent Director, Stephen King, recently bought US$403k worth of stock, paying US$24.53 for each share. Although the purchase only increased their holding by 9.9%, it is still a solid purchase in our view.

View our latest analysis for First Busey

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At First Busey

In fact, the recent purchase by Stephen King was the biggest purchase of First Busey shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price of US$25.35. Of course they may have changed their mind. But this suggests they are optimistic. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it's a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. The good news for First Busey share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price.

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

First Busey 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.

Insider Ownership

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that First Busey insiders own 6.4% of the company, worth about US$90m. 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 First Busey Tell Us?

It is good to see recent purchasing. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest First Busey insiders are well aligned, and that they may think the share price is too low. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in First Busey, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

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.