Insiders may sell shares for any number of reasons, but there is really only one reason insiders buy shares of a company -- they believe the stock price will move higher and they want to profit from it. Pullbacks and sell-offs provide a perfect opportunity for investors who have faith in a company to snap up shares. Here are some stocks that have seen insider buying recently.
Cracker Barrel Old Country StoreCBRL: This retailer and restaurateur recently had more than 7 million shares, worth over $35.1 million, purchased by a Sardar Biglari's Lion Fund, a so-called beneficial owner. Cracker Barrel has a market cap of $1.2 billion, a dividend yield of 1.2% and a return on equity of 32.9%. The share price is up about 26% in the past three months and once again nearing the 52-week high. In that time, the stock has outperformed the Nasdaq and competitors such as Denny's
DENN and DineEquity
DIN.
See also: Sardar Biglari Letter to Shareholders of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store.
EXCO ResourcesXCO: Since just before Christmas, WL Ross & Co. has purchased almost 20 million shares, worth more than $18.8 million. Wilbur Ross's firm bought shares throughout the fall as well. EXCO is an independent oil and natural gas company with a market cap of $1.9 billion. The P/E ratio is less than the industry average and the long-term EPS growth forecast is 21.7%. Shares are trading at a 52-week low after falling more than 42% in the past six months. The stock has underperformed the broader markets in that time.
Spectrum BrandsSPB: Harbinger Group
HRG, its parent, recently purchased more than 38,000 shares, worth more than $1.0 million, of this global branded consumer products company. Spectrum Brands has a market cap of $1.5 billion. The stock is up more than 16% from three months ago and trading above its 50-day and 200 day moving averages. Over the past six months, the stock has outperformed Harbinger but underperformed competitors Energizer
ENR and Procter & Gamble
PG, as well as the broader markets.
Tejon RanchTRC: Beneficial owner Towerview purchased 490,000 shares, worth more than $11.7 million last week. Towerview has been periodically buying shares since October. Real Estate developer Tejon Ranch has a market cap of $510.9 million and a long-range EPS growth forecast of 15.0%. It just announced that Dollar General
DG would be leasing warehouse space. Tejon shares have traded mostly between $23 and $26 since September. The stock has underperformed the broader markets over the past six months.
VMwareVMW: This tech company's parent, EMC Corp.
EMC, has purchased more than 480,000 shares so far in January. That was worth more than $39.7 million, and is in addition to more than $24.0 million's worth bought in December. The market cap of VMware is $36.0 billion and its long-term EPS growth forecast is 26.1%. But the P/E ratio is above the industry average. Shares are up more than 18% from the 52-week low but still are about 8% lower than a year ago. Over the past six months, the stock has underperformed the broader markets but outperformed EMC.
See also: Has It Stopped Raining on the Cloud Computing Stocks?Universal DisplayPANL: Some 90,000 shares, worth more than $2.9 million, were purchased last week by Discovery Capital Management. The beneficial owner also bought more than 600,000 shares in November. Universal Display is a developer of organic light emitting diode technologies and has a market cap of $1.8 billion. Its long-term EPS growth forecast is 24.5%. The share price popped more than 27% this past week, but is still more than 34% lower than the 52-week high. Over the past six months, this stock also outperformed the Nasdaq and competitor Eastman Kodak
EK.
See also: How Can Insider Trading Help You?ACTION ITEMS:
Bullish: Investors interested in exchange traded funds focused on insider trades might want to consider the following:
- Guggenheim Insider Sentiment NFO is about 27% higher than the 52-week low.
- Direxion All Cap Insider Sentiment Shares KNOW is more than 12% higher than the 52-week low.
- Direxion Large Cap Insider Sentiment Shares INSD is more than 9% higher than the 52-week low.
- Carrols Restaurant Group TAST is up almost 62% from the 52-week low.
- Cabot Oil & Gas COG is up about 87% from the 52-week low.
- MI Developments MIM is up about 40% from the 52-week low.
- Tyler Technologies TYL is up more than 61% from the 52-week low.
Loading...
Loading...
CBRLCracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc
$59.320.29%
Edge Rankings
Momentum
84.74
Growth
14.65
Quality
Not Available
Value
58.76
Price Trend
Short
Medium
Long
DENNDenny's Corp
$3.950.77%
DGDollar General Corp
$100.50-0.48%
DINDine Brands Global Inc
$24.49-%
EMCGlobal X Funds Global X Emerging Markets Great Consumer ETF
$27.90-%
ENREnergizer Holdings Inc
$23.380.34%
KNOWFundamentals First ETF Fundamentals First ETF
$10.87-%
PANLPangaea Logistics Solutions Ltd
$4.742.16%
PGProcter & Gamble Co
$167.69-0.04%
SPBSpectrum Brands Holdings Inc
$58.26-%
TRCTejon Ranch Co
$16.76-%
TYLTyler Technologies Inc
$576.11-%
© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Posted In:
Long IdeasNewsShort IdeasInsider TradesTrading Ideascabot oil & gasCarrols Restaurant GroupCracker Barrel Old Country StoreDenny’sDineequityDiscovery Capital Managementdollar generalEastman KodakemcenergizerExco ResourcesHarbinger GroupInsider Buyinginsider trading ETFsLion FundMI Developmentsprocter & gambleSardar BiglariSpectrum BrandsTejon RanchTowerviewTyler Technologiesuniversal displayVMwareWilber RossWL Ross & Co.
Benzinga simplifies the market for smarter investing
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
Join Now: Free!
Already a member?Sign in