Mark Hunter Bought 8.7% More Shares In Artisanal Spirits

Whilst it may not be a huge deal, we thought it was good to see that the The Artisanal Spirits Company plc (LON:ART) Independent Non-Executive Chairman of the Board, Mark Hunter, recently bought UK£48k worth of stock, for UK£0.39 per share. However, it only increased their shares held by 8.7%, and it wasn't a huge purchase by absolute value, either.

See our latest analysis for Artisanal Spirits

Artisanal Spirits Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent purchase by Mark Hunter is the biggest insider purchase of Artisanal Spirits shares that we've seen in the last year. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is UK£0.41. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. The good news for Artisanal Spirits share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid UK£128k for 291.49k shares. But insiders sold 26.00 shares worth UK£9.2. Overall, Artisanal Spirits insiders were net buyers during the last year. Their average price was about UK£0.44. I'd consider this a positive as it suggests insiders see value at around the current 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!

Artisanal Spirits is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of under-the-radar companies with insider buying.

Does Artisanal Spirits Boast High Insider Ownership?

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by 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 29% of Artisanal Spirits shares, worth about UK£7.8m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Artisanal Spirits Tell Us?

The recent insider purchase is heartening. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. However, we note that the company didn't make a profit over the last twelve months, which makes us cautious. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of Artisanal Spirits we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Artisanal Spirits. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Artisanal Spirits (of which 1 doesn't sit too well with us!) you should know about.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity 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