Should You Take Comfort From Insider Transactions At Nubian Resources Ltd. (CVE:NBR)?

It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Nubian Resources Ltd. (CVE:NBR).

What Is Insider Buying?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year'.

Check out our latest analysis for Nubian Resources

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Nubian Resources

The insider Eric Sprott made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for CA$4.2m worth of shares at a price of CA$0.42 each. We do like to see buying, but this purchase was made at well below the current price of CA$0.62. Because the shares were purchased at a lower price, this particular buy doesn't tell us much about how insiders feel about the current share price.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid CA$4.3m for 10.87m shares. But they sold 224.50k shares for CA$98k. In total, Nubian Resources 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 always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Insiders at Nubian Resources Have Bought Stock Recently

At Nubian Resources,over the last quarter, we have observed quite a lot more insider buying than insider selling. Insiders spent CA$4.3m on shares. But insiders only sold shares worth CA$98k. Insiders have spent more buying shares than they have selling, so on balance we think they are are probably optimistic.

Does Nubian Resources 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. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It appears that Nubian Resources insiders own 37% of the company, worth about CA$12m. 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 Nubian Resources Insiders?

The recent insider purchases are heartening. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. However, we note that the company didn't make a profit over the last twelve months, which makes us cautious. Insiders likely see value in Nubian Resources shares, given these transactions (along with notable insider ownership of the company). So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. Our analysis shows 4 warning signs for Nubian Resources (2 are a bit concerning!) and we strongly recommend you look at these before investing.

But note: Nubian Resources 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, but not derivative transactions.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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