Insider Sells Peapack-Gladstone Financial's Stock

Peapack Gladstone Finl Inc PGC was trading 1% higher from the previous closing price. EVP Head of Comml Banking Smith Gregory Martin filed a Form 4 with the SEC on Thursday, June 18. The insider sold 450 shares at an average price of $19.28. After the transaction, the executive's stake in Peapack Gladstone Finl Inc. moved to 3,118 shares.

Why Insider Transactions Are Important?

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.

When an insider buys stock after an important sell off, that can indicate the insider's faith in the success of the organization. Henceforth, if the stock is bought at new highs, it might be because the insider feels that the stock is not overvalued. Conversely, insiders who are selling stock at new lows can potentially indicate some kind of capitulation moment. Insiders selling at new highs can indicate that exec wants to "take some profit" and "lock in a gain."

Important Transaction Codes

Wall Street tends to focus on insider transactions which take place in the open market, viewed inside a Form 4 filing via 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 other than P or S are often viewed with less conviction as they are often not tied to a decision by the exec. As an example, transaction code C indicates the conversion of an option. Transaction code A indicates the insider may have been forced to sell shares in order to receive compensation the exec was promised upon being hired by a company.