It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So we’ll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Tapestry, Inc. (NYSE:TPR).
What Is Insider Selling?
It’s quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.
Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Harvard University study found that ‘insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.’
See our latest analysis for Tapestry
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Tapestry
In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the insider, Ian Bickley, sold US$515k worth of shares at a price of US$52.16 per share. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. It’s of some comfort that this sale was conducted at a price well above the current share price, which is US$26.71. So it is hard to draw any strong conclusion from it.
All up, insiders sold more shares in Tapestry than they bought, over the last 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!
Insiders at Tapestry Have Bought Stock Recently
At Tapestry,over the last quarter, we have observed quite a lot more insider buying than insider selling. We can see that Darrell Cavens paid US$210k for shares in the company. On the other hand, Independent Director Yu Long netted US$93k by selling. The buying outweighs the selling, which suggests that insiders may believe the company will do well in the future.
Insider Ownership
Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Insiders own 0.2% of Tapestry shares, worth about US$17m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.
So What Does This Data Suggest About Tapestry Insiders?
It is good to see the recent insider purchase. But we can’t say the same for the transactions over the last 12 months. While recent transactions indicate confidence in Tapestry, insiders don’t own enough of the company to overcome our cautiousness about the longer term transactions. In short they are likely aligned with shareholders. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.
But note: Tapestry may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.
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.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
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. Thank you for reading.