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 we’ll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Tronox Holdings plc (NYSE:TROX).
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.
Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. 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 Tronox Holdings
Tronox Holdings Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Chairman Jeffry Quinn bought US$100k worth of shares at a price of US$10.45 per share. So it’s clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is US$11.03. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company’s future. While we always like to see insider buying, it’s less meaningful if the purchases were made at much lower prices, as the opportunity they saw may have passed. In this case we’re pleased to report that the insider purchases were made at close to current prices.
Tronox Holdings insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn’t sell any. 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).
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. Tronox Holdings insiders own about US$19m worth of shares. That equates to 1.2% of the company. We’ve certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.
What Might The Insider Transactions At Tronox Holdings Tell Us?
It doesn’t really mean much that no insider has traded Tronox Holdings shares in the last quarter. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Insiders own shares in Tronox Holdings and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in Tronox Holdings, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
Of course Tronox Holdings 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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