Usually, when one insider buys stock, it might not be a monumental event. But when multiple insiders are buying like they did in the case of MainStreet Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:MNSB), that sends out a positive message to the company's shareholders.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

See our latest analysis for MainStreet Bancshares

MainStreet Bancshares Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when CEO & Chairman of the Board Jeff Dick bought US$234k worth of shares at a price of US$21.40 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher than US$17.83 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. 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. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when insiders have purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price.

In the last twelve months MainStreet Bancshares insiders were buying shares, but not selling. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

MainStreet Bancshares is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insiders At MainStreet Bancshares Have Bought Stock Recently

Over the last three months, we've seen a bit of insider buying at MainStreet Bancshares. Insiders bought US$24k worth of shares in that time. We like it when there are only buyers, and no sellers. However, in this case the amount invested recently is quite small.

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. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that MainStreet Bancshares insiders own 9.9% of the company, worth about US$13m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.