Cogent Communications VP Sells 4,800 Shares After Tumultuous Year

Henry W. Kilmer, Vice President of Network Strategy at Cogent Communications (NASDAQ:CCOI), directly sold 4,800 shares for a total of $94,992 in an open-market transaction on Dec. 8, 2025, as disclosed in this SEC Form 4 filing.

Transaction summary

Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 reported price ($19.79); post-transaction value based on Dec. 8, 2025 market close ($19.79).

Key questions

• How does this sale compare to Kilmer’s historical trading pattern?
  This transaction matches Kilmer’s historical maximum trade size of 4,800 shares, but exceeded the recent median by 100%, and represented a much higher percentage of his reduced holdings than prior sales.
• What portion of Kilmer’s remaining capacity was used in this transaction?
  The sale accounted for 12.44% of Kilmer’s direct holdings, which is more than double his recent median percentage per sale (5.69%), reflecting the impact of declining available shares.
• Were any indirect holdings, trusts, or derivative instruments involved in this transaction?
  No; all shares sold were from direct ownership, with no indirect entities or derivative exercises reported in the filing.
• What is the context of this transaction relative to Cogent’s stock performance?
  The transaction occurred after a period of significant price depreciation, with Cogent shares down 65.98% year over year as of Dec. 8, 2025; the market close price on the sale date ($21.19) was higher than the reported sale price ($19.79), suggesting intraday volatility.

Company overview

* 1-year price change calculated using Dec. 31, 2025 as the reference date.

Company snapshot

• Provides high-speed internet access, private network services, and data center colocation across multiple continents; operates 54 data centers and connects over 3,000 buildings.
• Generates revenue primarily through recurring subscription-based fees for network connectivity and colocation services, leveraging both on-net and off-net infrastructure.
• Targets small and medium-sized businesses, communications service providers, and bandwidth-intensive organizations as its core customer base.

Cogent Communications is a global provider of internet connectivity and network services, with a significant footprint in data centers and commercial buildings. The company’s strategy emphasizes scalable, high-capacity infrastructure and a recurring revenue model, supporting consistent service delivery to enterprise clients. Its competitive edge lies in its extensive network reach and focus on serving bandwidth-intensive customers across diverse geographic regions.

What this transaction means for investors

The Cogent Communications executive's sale of 4,800 shares for approximately $95,000 is a modest transaction -- but it nonetheless came at a difficult time for the company. The sale price of roughly $19.79 per share occurred just above the stock's 52-week low of $15.96.

Cogent had quite a challenging year. Shares have plummeted approximately 70% from their 52-week high of $84.06, driven by operational struggles following the company's 2023 Sprint asset acquisition. The company reported losses in its most recent quarter and announced it would pause its stock buyback program while slashing its dividend to $0.02 per share.

Cogent provides high-speed internet and network services globally and is working through unprofitable customer agreements inherited from Sprint. While the company sees potential in AI-related demand for high-capacity data center connections, the turnaround has been slower than anticipated.

A $95,000 sale is relatively small for an executive-level transaction, but selling near multiyear lows raises questions about near-term confidence. For investors, the key question is whether Cogent's strategic investments in the Sprint network will eventually pay off, or if further pain lies ahead.

Glossary

Direct ownership: Shares held and controlled personally by an individual, not through trusts or other entities.
Indirect holdings: Shares owned via another entity, such as a trust or family member, rather than directly.
Derivative instruments: Financial contracts whose value depends on the price of an underlying asset, like options or futures.
Open-market transaction: Buying or selling securities on a public exchange, not through private or pre-arranged deals.
SEC Form 4: A regulatory filing reporting insider trades by company officers, directors, or significant shareholders.
Insider trading: Buying or selling a company’s securities by someone with access to nonpublic, material information.
Disposal (of shares): The act of selling or otherwise getting rid of shares owned.
Colocation: Renting space in a data center to house servers and networking equipment.
On-net infrastructure: Network facilities directly owned and operated by a service provider.
Off-net infrastructure: Network connections provided through third-party networks, not owned by the service provider.
Dividend yield: Annual dividend payments divided by the current share price, shown as a percentage.
TTM: The 12-month period ending with the most recent quarterly report.

Sara Appino has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.