Investor Centre's AU$1.8m Market Cap Fall Books Insider Losses

The recent price decline of 30% in Investor Centre Limited's (ASX:ICU) stock may have disappointed insiders who bought AU$260.3k worth of shares at an average price of AU$0.045 in the past 12 months. Insiders buy with the expectation to see their investments rise in value over a period of time. However, recent losses have rendered their above investment worth AU$80.6k which is not ideal.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

Check out our latest analysis for Investor Centre

Investor Centre Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Non-Executive Director Robert Fogarty bought AU$254k worth of shares at a price of AU$0.045 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of AU$0.014. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. It is encouraging to see an insider paid above the current price for shares, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Robert Fogarty. Notably Robert Fogarty was also the biggest seller.

Robert Fogarty bought a total of 5.76m shares over the year at an average price of AU$0.045. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. If investing in lesser known companies is your style, you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

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. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Investor Centre insiders own about AU$1.9m worth of shares (which is 45% of the company). I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Investor Centre Insiders?

Our data shows a little insider buying, but no selling, in the last three months. Overall the buying isn't worth writing home about. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. It would be great to see more insider buying, but overall it seems like Investor Centre insiders are reasonably well aligned (owning significant chunk of the company's shares) and optimistic for the future. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. For example, Investor Centre has 6 warning signs (and 5 which are significant) we think you should know about.

Of course Investor Centre 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 of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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.