Non-Executive Director Andrew Chubb Sold A Bunch Of Shares In Metals Exploration

We'd be surprised if Metals Exploration plc (LON:MTL) shareholders haven't noticed that the Non-Executive Director, Andrew Chubb, recently sold UK£169k worth of stock at UK£0.067 per share. The eyebrow raising move amounted to a reduction of 38% in their holding.

See our latest analysis for Metals Exploration

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Metals Exploration

Notably, that recent sale by Andrew Chubb is the biggest insider sale of Metals Exploration shares that we've seen in the last year. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of UK£0.064. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. We note that this sale took place at around the current price, so it isn't a major concern, though it's hardly a good sign.

Insiders in Metals Exploration didn't buy any shares in the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

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Insider Ownership Of Metals Exploration

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. Metals Exploration insiders own about UK£43m worth of shares. That equates to 39% of the company. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Metals Exploration Tell Us?

Insiders haven't bought Metals Exploration stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. And even if we look at the last year, we didn't see any purchases. But it is good to see that Metals Exploration is growing earnings. Insider ownership isn't particularly high, so this analysis makes us cautious about the company. We'd practice some caution before buying! While it's good to be aware of 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. To help with this, we've discovered 4 warning signs (2 can't be ignored!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in Metals Exploration.

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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.