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 before you buy or sell SysGroup plc (LON:SYS), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.
What Is Insider Selling?
Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock in the company. 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.
View our latest analysis for SysGroup
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At SysGroup
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Non-Executive Chairman John Edelson for UK£50k worth of shares, at about UK£0.38 per share. So it’s clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being UK£0.33). It’s very possible they regret the purchase, but it’s more likely they are bullish about the company. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price.
While SysGroup insiders bought shares last year, they didn’t sell. 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 plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.
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. SysGroup insiders own about UK£2.7m worth of shares. That equates to 17% 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 SysGroup Tell Us?
The fact that there have been no SysGroup insider transactions recently certainly doesn’t bother us. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Overall we don’t see anything to make us think SysGroup insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in SysGroup, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
But note: SysGroup 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.
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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