Six Stocks Insiders Are Buying

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 Store CBRL: This retailer and restaurateur had more than 287,000 shares, worth over $14.9 million, purchased by a Sardar Biglari, a so-called beneficial owner, in the last 10 days in January. Cracker Barrel has a market cap of $1.2 billion, a dividend yield of 1.9% and a return on equity of 32.9%. The share price is up more than 26% in the past three months and in the region of the 52-week high. Over 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. Dominion Resources D:The CEO, CFO and two directors scooped up more than 17,000 shares, worth more than $881,000, at the end of January. This diversified energy company has a market cap of $28.7 billion and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The stock has pulled back about 5% in the past month, falling below the 50-day moving average, but not the 200-day moving average. Over the past six months, the stock has underperformed competitors American Electric Power AEP and NiSource NI, as well as the Dow. Hess Corp. HES: The chairman of the board recently purchased more than 91,000 shares. That was worth almost $5 million. This New York-based integrated energy company has a market cap of $19.3 million and a P/E ratio this is a little less than the industry average. Its dividend yield is 0.7%. Shares pulled back slightly in the past week and are down more than 33% from a year ago. The stock has underperformed larger competitors BP BP and Exxon Mobil XOM, as well as the broader markets, over the past six months. Icahn Enterprises IEP: Carl Icahn, the chairman of the board, bought up more than 12.9 million shares in January. That was worth more than $475 million. The market cap of his diversified company is $3.2 billion and its dividend yield is 1.0%. The P/E ratio is 6.3 and the company has a return on equity of 15.3%. Shares have traded mostly between $36 and $39 since November and are below where they were a year ago. Over the past six months, the stock has underperformed the broader markets and Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway BRK. Community Bank System CBU: Some 11,000 shares, worth more than $264,000, were purchased last week by seven of this regional bank's directors. The upstate New York-based bank holding company has a market cap of $1.1 billion and posted record Q4 EPS. Its long-term EPS growth forecast is 9.9% and the dividend yield is 3.7%. The share price pulled back about 3% recently from a 52-week high. Over the past six months, the stock outperformed competitors M&T Bank MTB and State Street STT, as well as the broader markets. See also: Community Bank System Announces Agreement to Acquire 19 Branches and $955 Million in Deposits. Colfax CFX: One director recently purchased more than 2.1 million shares, worth about $50 million. The same director also bought shares in October. The Maryland-based company makes industrial products and has a market cap of $1.3 billion. The long-term EPS growth forecast is 19.6%. The P/E ratio is hefty but expected to fall. The share price has pulled back a bit in the past week and is down more than 9% from a recent 52-week high. The stock has outperformed the broader markets and competitor Robbins & Myers RBN over the past six months. See also: Insider Sentiment Is Neutral to Bearish in January 2012.