67% Of This BCE Insider's Holdings Were Sold

From what we can see, insiders were net sellers in BCE Inc.'s (TSE:BCE ) during the past 12 months. That is, insiders sold the stock in greater numbers than they purchased it.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

View our latest analysis for BCE

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At BCE

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the Group President of Business Markets, John Watson, for CA$1.7m worth of shares, at about CA$53.83 per share. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. The good news is that this large sale was at well above current price of CA$48.48. So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price. John Watson was the only individual insider to sell over the last year.

In the last twelve months insiders purchased 53.90k shares for CA$2.6m. On the other hand they divested 48.72k shares, for CA$2.6m. John Watson sold a total of 48.72k shares over the year at an average price of CA$53.47. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

For those who like to find hidden gems this free list of small cap companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insider Ownership Of BCE

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. BCE insiders own about CA$23m worth of shares. That equates to 0.05% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Does This Data Suggest About BCE Insiders?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. We don't take much encouragement from the transactions by BCE insiders. But we do like the fact that insiders own a fair chunk of the company. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing BCE. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for BCE you should be aware of.

Of course BCE 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.