We recently published a list of 10 Micro-Cap Stocks Insiders Were Buying In Q1 2025. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD) stands against other micro-cap stocks insiders were buying in Q1 2025.
The White House announced Tuesday that Trump’s tariffs would take effect immediately after being unveiled on Wednesday. In anticipation of these “reciprocal tariffs,” which will apply to all countries, the stock market reacted. By Tuesday morning, the broader market index and Nasdaq Composite dropped by about 0.2%, while blue-chip companies lost 0.06%.
Amid ongoing market uncertainty, insider trading often comes under the spotlight. Executive stock purchases can signal optimism, but sales may reflect personal financial decisions or a need to diversify investments. To maintain transparency, executives typically follow pre-arranged strategies, like 10b5-1 plans. While insider trading can offer valuable information, it’s important to evaluate it in the broader context of the company’s financial stability and current market trends.
Our Methodology
Today, we’re focusing on stocks with micro market capitalizations that have seen significant insider buying in the first quarter of the year. Using Insider Monkey’s insider trading screener, we identified companies with market caps under $250 million where at least three insiders purchased shares in the past three months. From this list, we ranked the top 10 stocks with the highest number of insiders making purchases. Stocks that have been recently covered were excluded from our analysis.
Our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds, focusing on insider trading and stock picks from hedge fund investor newsletters and conferences. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
With each stock, we note the number of insiders who acquired shares in the first quarter and market capitalizations.
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Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD)
Number of insiders buying: 5
Market Capitalization: $125.58 million
Finward Bancorp is the holding company for Peoples Bank, offering a wide range of banking products, including deposit accounts, residential and commercial loans, and wealth management services. The Munster, Indiana-headquartered company also provides estate planning, insurance, and investment services, and operates as a real estate investment trust. Finward Bancorp changed its name from NorthWest Indiana Bancorp in 2021.
In February and March, five insiders, including the president and CEO, bought around $254,571 worth of Finward shares at an average price of $27.13 per share. Year-to-date, the stock is up 3.56%, trading at $29.11 per share. Over the past 12 months, Finward shares returned 18.43% to its investors.
For the full year 2024, Finward reported net income attributable to common stockholders of $12.1 million, or $2.84 per diluted share, compared to $8.4 million or $1.96 per diluted share in 2023. The net interest margin was 2.54%, compared to 2.83% for 2023. As of December 31, 2024, deposits totaled $1.8 billion, an increase of $11.8 million or 0.7%, compared to September 30, 2024.
According to TipRanks, one Wall Street analyst rates Finward Bancorp stock as “Hold” with a price target of $35.00 per share. The average price target suggests a 20.23% potential upside from the latest price.
Overall, FNWD ranks 7th on our list of micro-cap stocks insiders were buying in Q1 2025. While we acknowledge the potential of FNWD our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than FNWD but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
