Anyone interested in BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCBP) should probably be aware that the Executive VP, Ryan Blake, recently divested US$113k worth of shares in the company, at an average price of US$13.06 each. The eyebrow raising move amounted to a reduction of 16% in their holding.

BCB Bancorp Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent sale by Ryan Blake was the biggest sale of BCB Bancorp shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of US$12.92. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. We note that this sale took place at around the current price, so it isn't a major concern, though it's hardly a good sign.

In the last twelve months insiders purchased 24.12k shares for US$244k. But they sold 8.68k shares for US$113k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by BCB Bancorp insiders. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

BCB Bancorp is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of under-the-radar companies with insider buying.

Insider Ownership

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. BCB Bancorp insiders own about US$29m worth of shares. That equates to 13% of the company. 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 BCB Bancorp Tell Us?

An insider sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. On the other hand, the insider transactions over the last year are encouraging. We like that insiders own a fair amount of the company. So the recent selling doesn't worry us too much. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. At Simply Wall St, we found 2 warning signs for BCB Bancorp that deserve your attention before buying any shares.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

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 of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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.