iA Financial Insiders Added CA$1.48m Of Stock To Their Holdings

Over the last year, a good number of insiders have significantly increased their holdings in iA Financial Corporation Inc. (TSE:IAG). This is encouraging because it indicates that insiders are more optimistic about the company's prospects.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

Check out our latest analysis for iA Financial

iA Financial Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The insider Martin Gagnon made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for CA$864k worth of shares at a price of CA$86.44 each. That implies that an insider found the current price of CA$89.94 per share to be enticing. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. 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. The good news for iA Financial share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price.

In the last twelve months iA Financial insiders were buying shares, but not selling. 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!

iA Financial 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.

iA Financial Insiders Bought Stock Recently

Over the last three months, we've seen a bit of insider buying at iA Financial. Executive VP & Chief Investment Officer Alain Bergeron shelled out CA$45k for shares in that time. It's great to see that insiders are only buying, not selling. But the amount invested in the last three months isn't enough for us too put much weight on it, as a single factor.

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. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Our data indicates that iA Financial insiders own about CA$14m worth of shares (which is 0.2% of the company). We do generally prefer see higher levels of insider ownership.

So What Does This Data Suggest About iA Financial Insiders?

We note a that there has been a bit of insider buying recently (but no selling). The net investment is not enough to encourage us much. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Overall we don't see anything to make us think iA Financial insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. Therefore, you should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for iA Financial.

But note: iA Financial 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com