Insider Buying Solid Despite Roller-Coaster Market Volatility

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By Lee Jackson Published
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If any week was a ride for investors, it was this past week. Trading was marked with huge up and down swings and a rise and fall in volatility. Generally, this is the kind of market action that would make strategists nervous. It is also the kind of volatility you start to see as the quarter draws to a close and portfolio managers try to wring as much performance out as they possibly can. It is a difficult chore with essentially a flat market for the first three months of 2015.

We cover insider buying every week at 24/7 Wall Street, and once again the executives, directors and 10% owners were out in full force, purchasing the stock of their companies. This is an overall positive sign for the stock market, as continued insider buying shows investor confidence in the future.

Here are companies that saw significant insider buying this past week.

American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE: AMH) had a director make a very substantial purchase this past week. The director bought 844,130 shares of the stock at prices that ranged from $16.20 to $16.30. The total came to a whopping $13.7 million. The company engages in the acquisition, renovation, leasing and operating single-family home rental properties in the United States. Shares closed trading on Friday at $16.37.

Conns Inc. (NASDAQ: CONN) had a 10% owner of the retail electronics company step up and purchase stock last week. Anchorage Capital Group bought a block of 304,900 shares at $27.90 apiece. The total of the buy came to a tidy $8.5 million. The stock ended trading on Friday at $27.39.

American Assets Trust Inc. (NYSE: AAT) had somebody right at the top buying stock this week. The executive chairman of the company purchased a block of 200,000 shares at $40.50 apiece. The total of the buy came to about $8.1 million. The company owns, operates, acquires and develops retail, office, multifamily and mixed-use properties, primarily in California and Hawaii. The shares were trading on Friday’s close at $41.94, so a well-timed buy.

Radius Health Inc. (NASDAQ: RDUS) had a 10% institutional owner buying shares this week. Biotech Growth bought a 75,000 share block of the company’s stock at $47.08 a share. The total for the buy came to $3.5 million. The company focuses on developing novel therapeutics for patients with osteoporosis and other serious endocrine-mediated diseases in the United States. The stock ended the week at $47.36.

Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc. (NYSE: HLX) saw its chief executive officer buy stock this week, in a move that shareholders should applaud. Owen Kratz picked up 71,500 shares of the stock at prices that ranged from $13.98 to $14.00. The total for the buy came to about $1 million. The shares closed trading on Friday at $13.48.

ALSO READ: The Top 8 Dividend Stocks Owned by Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway

These companies also reported insider buying in the past week: Dominion Resources Inc. (NYSE: D), DURECT Corp. (NASDAQ: DRRX), Energy Transfer Partner L.P. (NYSE: ETP), Seattle Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: SGEN) and Tallgrass Energy Partners L.P. (NYSE: TEP).

The increase in insiders buying energy stocks is positive. We will be tracking this closely as we move into the second quarter of the year.

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About the Author Lee Jackson →

Lee Jackson has covered Wall Street analysts' equity and debt research and equity strategy daily for 24/7 Wall St. since 2012. His broad and diverse career, which included a stint as the creative services director at the NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas, gives him unique insight into the financial industry and world.

Lee Jackson's journey in the financial industry spans over 30 years, with nearly two decades as an institutional equity salesperson at Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, and Morgan Stanley. His career was marked by his presence on the sell side during pivotal Wall Street events, from the dot.com rise and bubble to the Long Term Capital Management debacle, 9/11, and the Great Recession of 2008. This is a testament to his resilience and adaptability in the face of market volatility.

Lee Jackson’s practical financial industry experience, acquired from a career at some of the biggest banks and brokerage firms, is complemented by a lifetime of writing on various platforms. This unique combination allows him to shed light on the intricacies and workings of Wall Street in a way that only someone with deep insider experience and knowledge can. Moreover, his extensive network across Wall Street continues to provide direct access for him and 24/7 Wall St., a privilege few firms enjoy.

Since 2012, Jackson’s work for 24/7 Wall St. has been featured in Barron’s, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, Business Insider, TradingView, Real Money, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Benzinga, and other media outlets. He attended the prestigious Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and has a degree in broadcasting from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.

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