How Many Insiders Bought POET Technologies Inc. (CVE:PTK) Shares?

We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So before you buy or sell POET Technologies Inc. (CVE:PTK), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.

What Is Insider Selling?

Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock on the market. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.'

See our latest analysis for POET Technologies

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At POET Technologies

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Director Donald Listwin bought CA$189k worth of shares at a price of CA$0.38 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price. It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. It's not at all bad to see insiders buy shares at or above current prices.

In the last twelve months insiders paid CA$401k for 1.01m shares purchased. Overall, POET Technologies insiders were net buyers last year. They paid about CA$0.40 on average. This is nice to see since it implies that insiders might see value around current prices (around CA$0.27). You can see the insider transactions 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!

I will like POET Technologies better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this freelist of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Insider Ownership of POET Technologies

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. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. POET Technologies insiders own about CA$819k worth of shares (which is 1.1% of the company). I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

So What Do The POET Technologies Insider Transactions Indicate?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. The transactions are fine but it'd be more encouraging if POET Technologies insiders bought more shares in the company. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in POET Technologies, you should check out this freereport on analyst forecasts for the company.

But note: POET Technologies may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this freelist of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.

The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.

Simply Wall St analyst Simply Wall St and Simply Wall St have no position in any of the companies mentioned. This article 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.