The Bottom Is in For These 3 Small-Cap Stocks Insiders Are Buying

With interest rates expected to fall and the stock market rally expected to broaden, activity is picking up in small-cap stocks such as Magnera (NYSE: MAGN), Energizer (NYSE: ENR), and Smith-Douglas Homes (NYSE: SDHC). While unrelated in business, each market shows a technical bottom and potential for a significant reversal, and their insiders are buying.

Institutions and analysts compound insider activity, which amounts to solid support bases and market tailwinds for these stocks. 

Magnera Corporation: Has a Wrap on Specialty Materials 

Magnera Corporation specializes in materials, utilizing over 25 technologies to produce products from more than 100 materials. It resulted from a merger in 2024. Products include non-woven materials and films serving industries such as personal care, healthcare, and food service. Its business is expected to grow in 2025, with acceleration anticipated in FY2026.

The company is not profitable today, but is expected to improve in the back half and produce a robust bottom line next year. 

Regarding the insiders, members, including the CEO and several directors, bought stock in May. Their buys bring total ownership to over 2% and are compounded by institutional and analyst activity. The analyst coverage is tepid, with only two ratings tracked by InsiderTrades, but they rate as a Hold and forecast a double-digit upside in late July.

Institutions are more bullish, owning approximately 77% of the stock and buying on balance in Q1, Q2, and the first three weeks of Q3. 

The catalyst for Magnera’s stock price advance may come with the FQ3 earnings release in August. The bar has been set low with analysts reducing their estimates during the quarter; still, the company is forecasted to grow compared to last year and produce adjusted profits.

Profits are forecasted to be small, at approximately 3 cents. Still, there is potential for outperformance due to strong product demand and the trend of better-than-expected economic data since the last release. 

Energizer Insiders Buy the Rally in ENR Stock

Energizer's stock price has been bottoming for several quarters, and insiders have begun to buy it. InsiderTrades tracked buys from four insiders in the first half, which is notable because it represents the first buying activity in over two years and a multi-year high in both buying and total activity.

The net result is that insiders now control approximately 1% of the stock, a relatively small amount, but a significant signal to the market. 

Institutions, which own about 94% of the stock, send a stronger signal. They have been buying on balance all year, aligning with the uptrend, and are compounded by analysts. Analysts rate the stock as a Hold, but it is a firm Hold with eight covering the stock, and the price target is robust.

The group moderated their targets earlier in the year to align with the consensus, which forecasts a 30% upside. Energizer also has a low bar to beat with its upcoming earnings report; it is already profitable and pays a reliable dividend that is worth 5% in late July. 

Smith-Douglas Homes Grows Against the Trend

Smith-Douglas Homes is a smaller homebuilder headquartered in the Southeast, focusing on semi-custom detached homes. The company is expected to grow in 2025 at a solid double-digit pace, outpacing the broader home builder industry, and its stock price is poised for a reversal.

Insiders, specifically director George Ervin Perdue III, are buying the stock at its lows, and so are institutions. Institutional activity evaporated in early Q3 but bought on balance in Q1 and Q2, providing a solid support base during the bottoming process. 

Smith-Douglas Homes announced a buyback authorization late in Q2 that will provide support for the market in the second half. The $50 million allotment will be funded from existing cash, equivalents, and future cash flows, accounting for approximately 4.5% of the market capitalization in mid-2025.

However, analysts have not yet committed to this investment. The five tracked by InsiderTrades rate it as a Hold with a bearish bias and expect its stock price to decline by 12%. 

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