We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Stockland (ASX:SGP).
What Is Insider Buying?
It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.
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. 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 Stockland
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Stockland
MD, CEO & Executive Director Mark Steinert made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for AU$722k worth of shares at a price of AU$4.17 each. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price of AU$4.32. 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. Happily, the Stockland insiders decided to buy shares at close to current prices.
In the last twelve months insiders paid AU$1.5m for 383k shares purchased. In the last twelve months Stockland insiders were buying shares, but not selling. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!
Insider Ownership of Stockland
Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Stockland insiders own about AU$33m worth of shares. That equates to 0.3% 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.
So What Does This Data Suggest About Stockland Insiders?
The fact that there have been no Stockland insider transactions recently certainly doesn’t bother us. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Insiders do have a stake in Stockland and their transactions don’t cause us concern. Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for Stockland.
But note: Stockland 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.