We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So before you buy or sell Premier Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFBI), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.

What Is Insider Selling?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise'.

Check out our latest analysis for Premier Financial Bancorp

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Premier Financial Bancorp

The Independent Director Neal Scaggs made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$153k worth of shares at a price of US$15.25 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being US$12.51). It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock when an insider has bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price. Neal Scaggs was the only individual insider to buy shares in the last twelve months.

Neal Scaggs bought a total of 13.63k shares over the year at an average price of US$15.25. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

Premier Financial Bancorp is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Does Premier Financial 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. It appears that Premier Financial Bancorp insiders own 19% of the company, worth about US$35m. 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 Premier Financial Bancorp Tell Us?

It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Premier Financial Bancorp shares in the last quarter. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Insiders do have a stake in Premier Financial Bancorp and their transactions don't cause us concern. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. To assist with this, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Premier Financial Bancorp.

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, but not derivative transactions.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.

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