Need To Know: Meggitt PLC (LON:MGGT) Insiders Have Been Buying Shares

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 shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Meggitt PLC (LON:MGGT).

Do Insider Transactions Matter?

Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock in the 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 Meggitt

Meggitt Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The Independent Non-Executive Chairman Anthony Rudd made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for UK£486k worth of shares at a price of UK£4.86 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being UK£4.34). Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. 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.

While Meggitt insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. The average buy price was around UK£4.33. These transactions show that insiders have confidence to invest their own money in the stock, albeit at slightly below the recent price. 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!

Meggitt is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Are Meggitt Insiders Buying Or Selling?

Insiders bought just UK£1.8k worth of shares in that time. That's not much at all. Overall, we don't think these recent trades are particularly informative, one way or the other.

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. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Insiders own 0.1% of Meggitt shares, worth about UK£4.2m, according to our data. Whilst better than nothing, we're not overly impressed by these holdings.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Meggitt Tell Us?

Our data shows a little insider buying, but no selling, in the last three months. That said, the purchases were not large. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. The transactions are fine but it'd be more encouraging if Meggitt insiders bought more shares in the company. While we like knowing 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. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Meggitt you should be aware of, and 1 of them is a bit concerning.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting 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, 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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