Insider Buys Century Bancorp Stock

A Form 4 filing filed with the SEC on Tuesday, September 15 showed that Filler James J bought 500 shares of Century Bancorp Inc CNBKA at $67.99 on Tuesday, Sep 08, bought 426 shares at $67.78 on Wednesday, Sep 09, bought 1,768 shares at $66.64 on Friday, Sep 11, and bought 400 shares at $67.38 on Monday, Sep 14.The transaction moved the executive's stake in Century Bancorp Inc. to 839,776 shares. Century Bancorp was trading 1.50% higher from the previous closing price.

The Importance of Insider Transactions

Insider transactions shouldn't be used primarily to make an investing decision, however an insider transaction can be an important factor in the investing decision.

Insiders buying stock after a notable sell off can indicate an insider's long-term belief in the success of the company; insiders buying stock at new highs can be an indication the exec doesn't feel the stock is overvalued. Insiders who sell stock at new lows could be anticipating some capitulation moment. If the insider sells at new highs, it could point to the intention to "take some profit" and "lock in a gain."

Important Transaction Codes

Investors prefer focusing on transactions which take place in the open market, indicated in the Form 4 with codes P for purchase and S for sale. If the transaction was an open-market transaction, that means that the insider made a concious decision for the company's stock moving forward.

Transaction codes besides P or S aren't relatively important as they are seldom tied to a decision by the executive. For example, transaction code A is indicative of an insider being forced to sell shares to attain compensation. Moreover, transaction code C indicates the conversion of an option.