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 Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust (SGX:RW0U).
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 logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. 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 Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust
Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Non-Executive Director of Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust Management Ltd Tiow Chye Chua made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for S$248k worth of shares at a price of S$1.24 each. So it’s clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being S$0.94). It’s very possible they regret the purchase, but it’s more likely they are bullish about the company. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock when an insider has bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price. Tiow Chye Chua was the only individual insider to buy shares in the last twelve months.
The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!
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 of Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust
Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. From our data, it seems that Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust insiders own 0.3% of the company, worth about S$10m. Overall, this level of ownership isn’t that impressive, but it’s certainly better than nothing!
What Might The Insider Transactions At Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust Tell Us?
The fact that there have been no Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust insider transactions recently certainly doesn’t bother us. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Insiders own shares in Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it’s also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. Be aware that Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust is showing 5 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is potentially serious…
Of course Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust 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.
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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. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.