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MD, CEO & Director Andrew Harding Just Bought 137% More Shares In Aurizon Holdings Limited (ASX:AZJ)
- Published
- November 24, 2021
Those following along with Aurizon Holdings Limited (ASX:AZJ) will no doubt be intrigued by the recent purchase of shares by Andrew Harding, MD, CEO & Director of the company, who spent a stonking AU$3.4m on stock at an average price of AU$3.41. That purchase boosted their holding by 137%, which makes us wonder if the move was inspired by quietly confident deeply-felt optimism.
Check out our latest analysis for Aurizon Holdings
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Aurizon Holdings
Notably, that recent purchase by Andrew Harding is the biggest insider purchase of Aurizon Holdings shares that we've seen in the last year. That implies that an insider found the current price of AU$3.44 per share to be enticing. Of course they may have changed their mind. But this suggests they are optimistic. 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 Aurizon Holdings insiders decided to buy shares at close to current prices.
While Aurizon Holdings insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!
Aurizon Holdings is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.
Insider Ownership
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. From our data, it seems that Aurizon Holdings insiders own 0.2% of the company, worth about AU$9.6m. We do generally prefer see higher levels of insider ownership.
So What Do The Aurizon Holdings Insider Transactions Indicate?
It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. While the overall levels of insider ownership are below what we'd like to see, the history of transactions imply that Aurizon Holdings insiders are reasonably well aligned, and optimistic for 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. When we did our research, we found 3 warning signs for Aurizon Holdings (1 can't be ignored!) that we believe deserve your full attention.
Of course Aurizon Holdings 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.
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.
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