We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Big Yellow Group Plc (LON:BYG).
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. For example, a Harvard University study found that ‘insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year’.
Check out our latest analysis for Big Yellow Group
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Big Yellow Group
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Executive Chairman of the Board Nicholas Vetch for UK£100k worth of shares, at about UK£9.83 per share. So it’s clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is UK£10.12. Of course they may have changed their mind. But this suggests they are optimistic. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today’s share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. In this case we’re pleased to report that the insider purchases were made at close to current prices.
In the last twelve months insiders purchased 30.52k shares for UK£300k. But they sold 2.40k shares for UK£28k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Big Yellow Group insiders. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!
Big Yellow Group is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.
Insider Ownership
Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Big Yellow Group insiders own about UK£106m worth of shares (which is 6.0% of the company). Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.
So What Do The Big Yellow Group Insider Transactions Indicate?
The fact that there have been no Big Yellow Group insider transactions recently certainly doesn’t bother us. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Judging from their transactions, and high insider ownership, Big Yellow Group insiders feel good about the company’s future. So while it’s helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it’s also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. At Simply Wall St, we found 2 warning signs for Big Yellow Group that deserve your attention before buying any shares.
Of course Big Yellow Group 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.
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