The Best Insider Traders, Ranked by Results
We followed every open-market purchase since Feb 13, 2026 and ranked the 120 insiders with at least 3 purchases on different days by how their stocks did against the S&P 500 three months later.
By Sepehr Parsa · Founder and editor, WallStPalThe ranking
Joseph Fralin Woody leads: the stocks Woody bought finished a median +144.2% against the S&P 500 three months after each of 5 purchases. Across all 120 ranked insiders, 45% had a positive median, which shows how hard it is, even for insiders, to beat the index consistently.
| # | Insider | Stocks | Purchases | Bought | Median vs S&P 500 | Beat the index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joseph Fralin WoodyDirector | RCEL | 5 | $189K | +144.2% | 100% |
| 2 | Joe T. FordDirector | WEST | 3 | $454K | +82.6% | 67% |
| 3 | Thomas F. KirkDirector | MYO | 3 | $127K | +68.0% | 100% |
| 4 | Judd DaytonDirector | LFVN | 3 | $152K | +62.1% | 100% |
| 5 | Michael C. BucellaDirector | WULF | 9 | $200K | +56.6% | 100% |
| 6 | Leon O. Moulder JrChief Executive Officer | ZBIO | 4 | $2.09M | +52.8% | 100% |
| 7 | Erik D. RagatzDirector | GO stock | 5 | $2.07M | +51.8% | 100% |
| 8 | Paul J. SarvadiChairman of the Board & CEO | NSP | 5 | $15.5M | +50.1% | 100% |
| 9 | Meyer MalkaDirector | HOOD | 3 | $55.3M | +47.8% | 100% |
| 10 | Georgios FeidakisDirector | GLBS | 5 | $1.21M | +46.2% | 100% |
| 11 | Milton C. Ault IIIDirector | ALZN, UUU | 22 | $946K | +31.5% | 100% |
| 12 | Jason J. N. PotterPresident and CEO | GO stock | 3 | $2.41M | +30.7% | 100% |
| 13 | Frederick D. DisantoDirector | EML | 7 | $95K | +27.1% | 100% |
| 14 | David F. BaileyChief Executive Officer | NAKA | 3 | $993K | +25.3% | 100% |
| 15 | John T. TreaceChief Executive Officer | TMCI | 8 | $829K | +22.1% | 100% |
| 16 | Joel S. MarcusExecutive Chairman | ARE | 3 | $1.08M | +21.8% | 100% |
| 17 | John C. MaloneDirector Emeritus | LILA, GLIBK | 3 | $2.55M | +19.3% | 67% |
| 18 | Daniel R. TischDirector | VNO | 5 | $5.63M | +18.6% | 100% |
| 19 | C. Bradford RichmondDirector | BJRI | 3 | $111K | +17.7% | 100% |
| 20 | Brian S. PosnerDirector | DYN | 5 | $193K | +15.5% | 100% |
| 21 | William J. QuinnDirector | INR | 3 | $871K | +14.8% | 100% |
| 22 | Hartley R. RogersExecutive Co-Chairman | HLNE | 5 | $13.0M | +13.2% | 100% |
| 23 | Curtland E. FieldsDirector | KRNY | 5 | $181K | +12.0% | 100% |
| 24 | Michael W. MalafronteLead Independent Director | CVSA | 4 | $3.75M | +11.3% | 100% |
| 25 | Leonard M. TannenbaumDirector | AFCG | 15 | $1.45M | +11.2% | 93% |
Never missed
Insiders with five or more measured purchases, every one of which beat the S&P 500 over the next three months: Milton C. Ault III (22 of 22, ALZN), Michael C. Bucella (9 of 9, WULF), Bob R. Simpson (8 of 8, TXO), John T. Treace (8 of 8, TMCI), Bruce C. Taylor (7 of 7, AVO), Frederick D. Disanto (7 of 7, EML), Kevin Tang (6 of 6, AUPH), Georgios Feidakis (5 of 5, GLBS), Jay A. Pack (5 of 5, AVO), Curtland E. Fields (5 of 5, KRNY).
At the other end
| Insider | Stocks | Purchases | Median vs S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Kostman | TEAD | 3 | −56.7% |
| Jack Jiajia Huang | COE | 34 | −38.5% |
| Amir F. Heshmatpour | NTHI | 6 | −36.0% |
| Tor Olav Troim | BORR | 3 | −33.9% |
| Chun Sing Chan | CLIK | 7 | −32.5% |
| Paul Howard Sutherland | GAIA | 6 | −32.4% |
| Harit Talwar | BETR | 3 | −27.8% |
| Jason Stabell | EPSN | 5 | −27.5% |
| Petros Panagiotis Panagiotidis | TORO | 3 | −27.3% |
| Ramin Kamfar | BHM | 4 | −25.5% |
How to read it
Each purchase is measured from its own price to the weekly close about three months later, minus the S&P 500's move over the same weeks. We use the median of an insider's purchases, so one lucky trade cannot carry them to the top, and require purchases on at least 3 different days and $50,000 in total. Most insiders buy only their own company's stock, so the ranking also reflects how that company did. Past results say little about the next purchase, and three months is a short window.
Examples
Research on insiders as a group goes back decades. H. Nejat Seyhun's studies in the 1980s and 1990s found that insiders' purchases were followed by better-than-market returns on average, particularly at smaller companies, while the effect for very large companies was small. A ranking like this one shows the spread behind that average: a few insiders with remarkable records, and many whose purchases did no better than the index.
Explain it like I'm 13
This is a leaderboard for insiders: everyone who bought their own company's stock at least three times gets a score for how those buys did compared with the whole market. Like any leaderboard with few games played, luck plays a big part.
Built from SEC Form 4 and 13F filings and STOCK Act reports as read by WallStPal, rebuilt every day. Prices are weekly closing prices derived from SEC data and can lag by a few weeks. Results describe what stocks did, not anyone's profit, and are not investment advice. See our method.
About this page
WallStPal explains public SEC filings and congressional stock trade reports in plain English. Nothing is for sale; the site is free and supported by ads.
How to read it
- Form 4
- The form a company insider (officer, director or owner of more than 10%) must file with the SEC within two business days of buying or selling the company's shares.
- 13F
- A quarterly list of U.S. stocks held by an investment manager with more than $100 million, filed within 45 days after each quarter ends.
- STOCK Act
- A 2012 law that requires members of Congress to report stock trades by themselves, a spouse or a dependent child within 45 days.
A real example
In January 2016, when bank stocks were falling, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon bought 500,000 JPMorgan shares with his own money, worth about $26 million. His Form 4 made the purchase public within days, and investors read it as a strong sign of confidence.
Explain it like I'm 13
We read the long, boring forms that grown-ups file with the government and tell you what they say in normal words.
Data from public SEC filings and congressional reports. Information, not investment advice. Check every number against the filing linked on the page.