Top-Tier Executives at Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. (SFM) and Two Other Companies Are Piling Up Shares; Noteworthy Insider Trading at Other Companies

Executive of Paper and Packaging Company Sells Shares Amid Takeover Speculations

According to our insider trading database, the insider buying at International Paper Co (NYSE:IP) has been mute over the past several years, whereas the volume of insider selling has been on a rise as of late. William P. Hoel, Senior Vice President of Container for the Americas, discarded 20,000 shares on Tuesday at prices ranging from $48.11 to $48.19 per share, cutting his overall holding to 157,372 shares.

The paper and packaging company has seen its market value jump by 26% since the beginning of the year, partially due to speculations around a prospective takeover. Several media reports speculated that privately-held Koch Industries could represent a possible acquirer of International Paper Co (NYSE:IP). The company reported net sales of $5.3 billion for the second quarter, as compared to $5.1 billion posted in the first quarter of 2016 and $5.7 billion in the second quarter of 2015. The number of smart money investors from our system with stakes in International Paper fell to 20 from 22 during the April-to-June period. Adage Capital Management, founded by Phillip Gross and Robert Atchinson, has 614,492 shares of International Paper Co (NYSE:IP) among its holdings as of June 30.

Executive at Growing Provider of Financial Services Technology Offloads Shares

An influential member of Fiserv Inc. (NASDAQ:FISV)’s executive team also offloaded some shares this week. Rahul Gupta, Group President of the Billing and Payments Group at Fiserv, sold 15,225 shares on Monday at prices varying from $101.00 to $101.12 per share. After the recent purchase, Mr. Gupta currently holds a stake of 66,129 shares.

The shares of the provider of financial services technology are up by 8% so far in 2016. During the first quarter of the year, Fiserv Inc. (NASDAQ:FISV) completed the acquisition of two businesses for around $265 million. In January, the company acquired Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co (NYSE:HPE)’s Convenience Pay Services business, which allows providers to accept electronic payments from their customers through multiple channels. In March, Fiserv also acquired certain assets of ACI Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ:ACIW)’s Community Financial Services business, which enabled the acquirer to enhance its portfolio of digital banking and payments solutions. David Harding’s Winton Capital Management owns 312,032 shares of Fiserv Inc. (NASDAQ:FISV) as of the end of the second quarter.

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