Benzinga | Aug 13, 2020 11:07AM EDT

Insider Buys Plus Therapeutics's Shares

Shares of Plus Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:PSTV) moved higher by 8.6% from the previous closing price. A Form 4 filing filed with the SEC on Thursday, August 13 showed that Petersen Greg bought 10,000 shares at an average price of $2.52. The transaction moved the executive's stake in Plus Therapeutics Inc. to 10,000 shares.

Why Insider Transactions Are Important?

While transactions from an insider shouldn't be used as the sole item to make an investment or trading decision, an insider buying or selling stock in their company can be a good added factor that leads to more conviction in a decision.

Insiders buying stock after a notable sell off can indicate an insider's long-term belief in the success of the company; insiders buying stock at new highs can be an indication the exec doesn't feel the stock is 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

Investors prefer focusing on transactions which take place in the open market, indicated in the Form 4 with 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.