The Independent Director of Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SASR), Craig Ruppert, Just Bought 16% More Shares

Investors who take an interest in Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SASR) should definitely note that the Independent Director, Craig Ruppert, recently paid US$25.33 per share to buy US$350k worth of the stock. That's a very solid buy in our book, and increased their holding by a noteworthy 16%.

Check out our latest analysis for Sandy Spring Bancorp

Sandy Spring Bancorp Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent purchase by Craig Ruppert is the biggest insider purchase of Sandy Spring Bancorp shares that we've seen in the last year. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being US$21.79). Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares is very important. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price.

While Sandy Spring Bancorp insiders bought shares last year, they didn't sell. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Insider Ownership

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 2.4% of Sandy Spring Bancorp shares, worth about US$18m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Sandy Spring Bancorp Insiders?

It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of Sandy Spring Bancorp we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. You'd be interested to know, that we found 2 warning signs for Sandy Spring Bancorp and we suggest you have a look.

Of course Sandy Spring Bancorp may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality 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.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.