Have Insiders Been Buying Achieve Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHV) Shares?

We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. 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 Achieve Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHV).

Do Insider Transactions Matter?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.

See our latest analysis for Achieve Life Sciences

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Achieve Life Sciences

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Chairman of the Board & CEO Richard A. Stewart for US$63k worth of shares, at about US$3.61 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being US$0.60). Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when an insider has purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price. Richard A. Stewart was the only individual insider to buy over the year.

The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Does Achieve Life Sciences Boast High 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. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Based on our data, Achieve Life Sciences insiders have about 1.5% of the stock, worth approximately US$191k. We prefer to see high levels of insider ownership.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Achieve Life Sciences Insiders?

The fact that there have been no Achieve Life Sciences insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. While we have no worries about the insider transactions, we'd be more comfortable if they owned more Achieve Life Sciences stock. Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for Achieve Life Sciences.

Of course Achieve Life Sciences may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality 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.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

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