Usually, when one insider buys stock, it might not be a monumental event. But when multiple insiders are buying like they did in the case of Veren Inc. (TSE:VRN), that sends out a positive message to the company's shareholders.
While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.
Check out our latest analysis for Veren
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Veren
In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when insider William Holt bought CA$500k worth of shares at a price of CA$10.15 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of CA$8.31. 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.
Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid CA$1.1m for 113.79k shares. But insiders sold 47.13k shares worth CA$527k. In total, Veren 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 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 undervalued small cap companies that insiders are buying.
Insiders At Veren Have Bought Stock Recently
We saw some Veren insider buying shares in the last three months. President Craig Bryksa bought CA$51k worth of shares in that time. It's great to see that insiders are only buying, not selling. But in this case the amount purchased means the recent transaction may not be very meaningful on its own.
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. Insiders own 0.6% of Veren shares, worth about CA$33m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.
So What Do The Veren Insider Transactions Indicate?
The recent insider purchase is heartening. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of Veren we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. While it's good to be aware of 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. To assist with this, we've discovered 3 warning signs that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Veren.
Of course Veren 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.
About TSX:VRN
Veren
Explores, develops, and produces oil and gas properties in Canada and the United States.
Very undervalued average dividend payer.