Insider Buying: Total Energy Services President Bought CA$90k Of Shares

Even if it's not a huge purchase, we think it was good to see that Daniel Halyk, the President of Total Energy Services Inc. (TSE:TOT) recently shelled out CA$90k to buy stock, at CA$9.02 per share. Nevertheless, it only increased their shareholding by a minuscule percentage, and it wasn't a massive purchase by absolute value, either.

Check out our latest analysis for Total Energy Services

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Total Energy Services

Notably, that recent purchase by President Daniel Halyk was not the only time they bought Total Energy Services shares this year. Earlier in the year, they paid CA$9.38 per share in a CA$14m purchase. That means that even when the share price was higher than CA$8.91 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels. Notably Daniel Halyk was also the biggest seller.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid CA$16m for 1.66m shares. But they sold 1.50m shares for CA$14m. In total, Total Energy Services insiders bought more than they sold over the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

Total Energy Services is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find small cap companies at attractive valuations, this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Does Total Energy Services Boast High 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. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Total Energy Services insiders own about CA$31m worth of shares. That equates to 8.8% 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 Total Energy Services Tell Us?

The recent insider purchases are heartening. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. Insiders likely see value in Total Energy Services shares, given these transactions (along with notable insider ownership of the company). In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Total Energy Services. You'd be interested to know, that we found 1 warning sign for Total Energy Services and we suggest you have a look.

But note: Total Energy Services 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.