Usually, when one insider buys stock, it might not be a monumental event. But when multiple insiders are buying like they did in the case of Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC), that sends out a positive message to the company's shareholders.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Market Chairman Daniel Jones for US$198k worth of shares, at about US$39.51 per share. That implies that an insider found the current price of US$43.61 per share to be enticing. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. Happily, the Southern Missouri Bancorp insiders decided to buy shares at close to current prices.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$391k for 9.86k shares. On the other hand they divested 480.00 shares, for US$19k. Overall, Southern Missouri Bancorp insiders were net buyers during the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

Southern Missouri Bancorp is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Does Southern Missouri Bancorp Boast High Insider Ownership?

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 17% of Southern Missouri Bancorp shares, worth about US$84m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Southern Missouri Bancorp Tell Us?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Insiders do have a stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp and their transactions don't cause us concern. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. For example - Southern Missouri Bancorp has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

Of course Southern Missouri Bancorp may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality 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.