Julie Doyle, a director at Bank of the James Corp (BOTJ) recently picked up 1,000 shares. The buy increased her stake by over 8 percent, and came to a total purchase price of $16,000.
A number of other directors and a company Treasurer also bought shares, albeit in the few hundred share range. Over the past three years, insiders have been exclusively buyers of shares on a regular basis.
Overall, company insiders own just over 13 percent of the regional bank.
Shares of the bank are up nearly 70 percent in the past year thanks to the strong economic rebound. The bank trades at a slight premium to its book value, but given its relatively small market cap, it could be the target of a merger from a larger bank.
Action to take: Investors are getting shares at 11 times earnings, and a 1.8 percent dividend yield, which the company has slightly raised in the past year.
Traders will have to buy shares as well, as the bank is too small in size for options to trade against it. Traders may want to look elsewhere in the sector or sit this trade out, as there’s no telling when a big move higher in shares from a catalyst like a buyout offer could occur.
Disclosure: The author of this article has no position in the company mentioned here, but may trade after the next 72 hours. The author receives no compensation from any of the companies mentioned in this article.