Gartner Inc. (IT), Signet Jewelers (SIG), and WPX Energy (WPG) Among the Companies Reporting Notable Insider Trading Activity

Oil-Focused Energy Company Registers Insider Buying Despite Skyrocketing Stock

WPX Energy Inc. (NYSE:WPX) also had two corporate insiders purchase shares earlier this week. To start with, President and Chief Executive Officer Richard E. Muncrief bought 20,400 shares on Monday for $9.80 each, which lifted his ownership to 732,481 shares. William G. Lowrie, the Chairman of WPX Energy’s Board, acquired a slightly smaller block of 10,000 shares on the same day at $9.80 apiece, boosting his stake to 237,076 shares.

The oil-focused energy company has seen its market capitalization skyrocket by 88% since the beginning of 2016. In early February, WPX Energy Inc. (NYSE:WPX) reached an agreement to sell its Piceance Basin operations for $910 million, with the transaction successfully closing in early-April. Just recently, the company also announced plans to raise $485 million through a public offering of 49.50 million shares of common stock. Meanwhile, analysts at Seaport Global upgraded WPX Energy to ‘Neutral’ from ‘Sell’, citing an eased leverage burden, higher commodity prices and operational progress. Israel Englander’s Millennium Management was the owner of 9.14 million shares of WPX Energy Inc. (NYSE:WPX) at the end of the first quarter.

IT Research Firm Witnesses Strong Insider Selling as Stock Nears 52-Week High

Eugene A. Hall, Chief Executive Officer of research firm Gartner Inc. (NYSE:IT), sold 48,413 shares on Monday at prices between $102.17 and $102.64 per share. Following the recent sale, Mr. Hall holds an ownership stake of 1.17 million shares. Additionally, David Godfrey, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales, discarded 2,973 shares on Friday for $102.09 each, trimming his holding to 9,331 shares.

The shares of the information technology research and advisory company are up by 11% thus far in 2016 and trade near their 52-week high reached at the end of May, which somewhat justifies the recent insider selling at the company. Gartner Inc. (NYSE:IT) recorded total revenue of $557.3 million for the first quarter of 2016, which was up by 18% year-over-year. The company’s top-line grew by 21% year-over-year, adjusted for the negative impact of foreign currency headwinds. Brian Bares’ Bares Capital Management upped its position in Gartner Inc. (NYSE:IT) by 17% during the January-to-March quarter, to 1.02 million shares.

Two of This Trucking Company’s Executives Sell Shares

J B Hunt Transport Services Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) also had two executives offload shares earlier this week. Terrence D. Matthews, President of Intermodal and an Executive Vice President of the company, jettisoned 10,000 shares on Monday at $82.50 apiece, reducing his direct ownership stake to 4,909 shares. More importantly, President and Chief Executive Officer John N. Roberts sold 60,000 units of common stock on the same day for $82.49 each, after which he currently owns 226,967 units.

The well-known trucking company has seen its shares advance by 10% since the start of the year. J B Hunt Transport Services Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)’s bottom-line figure has been given a boost from lower fuel costs in the past several quarters and expenses for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel are anticipated to be low for the remainder of the year for most transportation companies. The North American surface transportation, delivery, and logistics company posted operating revenue of $1.53 billion for the first quarter, up from $1.44 billion reported a year earlier. Ken Griffin’s Citadel Advisors LLC reported owning nearly 475,000 shares of J B Hunt Transport Services Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) in its latest 13F filing.

Disclosure: None