Did Usha Martin Limited (NSE:USHAMART) Insiders Buy Up More Shares?

It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Usha Martin Limited (NSE:USHAMART).

What Is Insider Selling?

Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock in the company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own company’s stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'.

View our latest analysis for Usha Martin

Usha Martin Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The MD & Executive Director Rajeev Jhawar made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for ₹13m worth of shares at a price of ₹22.69 each. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price of ₹24.40. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. Happily, the Usha Martin insider decided to buy shares at close to current prices. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Rajeev Jhawar.

You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

Usha Martin is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Insiders at Usha Martin Have Sold Stock Recently

We have seen a bit of insider selling at Usha Martin, over the last three months. insider Prashant Jhawar divested only ₹1.6m worth of shares in that time. Neither the lack of buying nor the presence of selling is heartening. But the volume sold is so low that it really doesn't bother us.

Insider Ownership

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. From looking at our data, insiders own ₹259m worth of Usha Martin stock, about 3.5% of the company. We do note, however, it is possible insiders have an indirect interest through a private company or other corporate structure. I generally like to see higher levels of ownership.

So What Do The Usha Martin Insider Transactions Indicate?

An insider hasn't bought Usha Martin stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. In contrast, they appear keener if you look at the last twelve months. And insider ownership remains quite considerable. So we're not too bothered by recent selling. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. At Simply Wall St, we've found that Usha Martin has 4 warning signs (1 is concerning!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

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