Investing

Warren Buffett Continues Massive Energy Insider Buying: Phillips 66, Seagate Technology, General Electric and More

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For investors, February so far is looking like more of the same. Up and down markets that seesaw intra-day often on the price of oil or dollar strength and weakness. One thing is for sure, between the continued volatility, political rhetoric and concerns over the real strength or lack thereof in the economy, we probably can expect the same churning in the markets until the election cycle comes to an end. With that in mind, November looks a long way off from here.

We cover insider buying every week at 24/7 Wall St., and we like to remind our readers that while insider buying is usually a very positive sign, it is not in of itself a reason to run out and buy a stock. Sometimes insiders and 10% owners have stock purchase plans set up at intervals to add to their holdings. That aside, it still remains a positive indicator.

Here are some of the companies that reported notable insider buying this past week.

Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX) had a big time buyer on the desk once again last week, and just like for all of January the share count is huge. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway was busy buying 1,691,153 shares of Phillips 66 at between $77.74 and $80.08 apiece. That added up to $132 million. Earlier in the week, they bought a massive 2,541,346 shares at prices that ranged from $77.44 to $78.46. The total for that mammoth buy was a staggering $198 million. Phillips 66 operates as an energy manufacturing and logistics company. Its stock closed on Friday at $78.33.

Seagate Technology PLC (NASDAQ: STX) had some of the big brass buying serious shares this past week. The chief executive and a unit president at the company bought a total of 205,000 shares of the stock at prices between $29.10 and $30.17. The total for the buy was $6.2 million. The company designs, manufactures and sells electronic data storage products in the Asia Pacific, the Americas and elsewhere. Shares closed the day on Friday at $31.59, so a well-timed purchase, it appears.


General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) shows up on our screens for the second week in a row. A senior vice president at the blue chip behemoth bought a total of 30,612 shares of the stock at $29 per share. The total for the purchase was an even $1 million. GE shares closed trading on Friday at $28.54.

Air Products Inc. (NYSE: APD) had the person at the top buying shares of the company this past week. CEO Seifollah Ghasemi picked up a block of 50,000 shares at prices that ranged from $125.37 to $127.84. The total for the buy came to a very strong $6.3 million. The company provides atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, electronics and performance materials, equipment and services worldwide. The stock closed on Friday at $135.60, so a very well-timed purchase.

Summit Midstream Partners L.P. (NYSE: SMLP) is another energy company that saw an insider buying shares, and it hit our screens every week in January as well. A director acquired 164,553 shares of the stock at prices that ranged from $18.04 to $19.03. The total for the trade came to a sizable $3 million. The company focuses on owning, developing and operating midstream energy infrastructure assets, primarily shale formations in North America. The share ended the week at $16.66.

These companies also reported insider buying this week: Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc. (NYSE: CFR), Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD), Sotheby’s (NYSE: BID) and United Technologies Inc. (NYSE: UTX).

As has been the case so far in 2016, insider selling was all but nonexistent again this week. This is probably a continuing combination of trading windows being shut during earnings season and the incredible market volatility, where we still stand much lower for the year on all the indexes.

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