Stephen Morriss Bought 3,794% More Shares In AtkinsRéalis Group

AtkinsRéalis Group Inc. (TSE:ATRL) shareholders (or potential shareholders) will be happy to see that the President of United States, Stephen Morriss, recently bought a whopping CA$1.4m worth of stock, at a price of CA$52.84. That increased their holding by a full 3,794%, which arguably implies the sort of confidence required for a shy sweet-natured nerd to ask the most popular kid in the school to go out on a date.

See our latest analysis for AtkinsRéalis Group

AtkinsRéalis Group Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the President, Ian Edwards, for CA$7.1m worth of shares, at about CA$55.67 per share. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of CA$52.89. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. Given that the sale took place at around current prices, it makes us a little cautious but is hardly a major concern.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 58.51k shares worth CA$3.1m. But they sold 203.15k shares for CA$11m. All up, insiders sold more shares in AtkinsRéalis Group than they bought, over the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

For those who like to find hidden gems this free list of small cap companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insider Ownership

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It appears that AtkinsRéalis Group insiders own 0.3% of the company, worth about CA$31m. 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 AtkinsRéalis Group Insiders?

Unfortunately, there has been more insider selling of AtkinsRéalis Group stock, than buying, in the last three months. And our longer term analysis of insider transactions didn't bring confidence, either. On the plus side, AtkinsRéalis Group makes money, and is growing profits. While insiders do own shares, they don't own a heap, and they have been selling. We're in no rush to buy! So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for AtkinsRéalis Group (of which 1 is a bit concerning!) you should know about.

But note: AtkinsRéalis Group 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 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.