Insider Buying Today

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about insider buying and SEC Form 4 filings on TheDesperateTrader.

What is insider buying?

Insider buying is when a company's own officers, directors, or large shareholders buy shares of that company on the open market. Every such purchase must be reported to the SEC on a Form 4, usually within two business days. Because insiders know their business best and are spending their own money, a cluster of open-market buys is one of the more closely watched conviction signals.

How is this different from the Smart Money tracker?

The Smart Money page tracks big institutions: quarterly 13F holdings and new 5%-plus stakes from funds like Berkshire. This page tracks individual insiders: the executives and directors buying their own stock, filed on Form 4. Insider buys are faster (days, not a quarter late) and often a purer conviction signal because the buyer runs the company.

How do you rank the stocks?

The top board ranks each stock by the total dollars of open-market insider buying over the last few weeks, then by cluster, the number of distinct insiders buying the same name. Multiple insiders buying at once is generally read as stronger conviction than a single buy. The latest-buys list below is ordered by filing time so you can see what just came in.

Is insider buying a guarantee the stock goes up?

No. Insider buying is a data signal, not a recommendation or a guarantee. Insiders can be wrong, and a stock can fall after they buy. This page is a research tool, not investment advice. Always do your own research and manage risk.

How do I catch the move when one of these runs?

Big insider names often move on unusual volume before the crowd notices. Our free real-time scanner flags any stock the moment it trades well above its normal volume, across the whole market with no 15-minute delay and no credit card.