We’ve lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So we’ll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Hill & Smith Holdings PLC (LON:HILS).
Do Insider Transactions Matter?
It’s quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.
Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Columbia University study found that ‘insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own company’s stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers’.
Check out our latest analysis for Hill & Smith Holdings
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Hill & Smith Holdings
The insider, Mark Pegler, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for UK£156k worth of shares at a price of UK£11.71 each. That means that an insider was selling shares at slightly below the current price (UK£13.57). As a general rule we consider it to be discouraging when insiders are selling below the current price, because it suggests they were happy with a lower valuation. Please do note, however, that sellers may have a variety of reasons for selling, so we don’t know for sure what they think of the stock price. We note that the biggest single sale was only 18% of Mark Pegler’s holding. Mark Pegler was the only individual insider to sell shares in the last twelve months.
Mark Pegler ditched 17538 shares over the year. The average price per share was UK£11.93. You can see the insider transactions (by 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!
If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).
Insider Ownership of Hill & Smith Holdings
Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it’s a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. From our data, it seems that Hill & Smith Holdings insiders own 0.5% of the company, worth about UK£5.1m. Whilst better than nothing, we’re not overly impressed by these holdings.
What Might The Insider Transactions At Hill & Smith Holdings Tell Us?
It doesn’t really mean much that no insider has traded Hill & Smith Holdings shares in the last quarter. Our analysis of Hill & Smith Holdings insider transactions leaves us unenthusiastic. We also note that, as far as we can see, insider ownership is fairly low, compared to other companies. Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for Hill & Smith Holdings.
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.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.