Several Insiders Invested In British Land Flagging Positive News

It is usually uneventful when a single insider buys stock. However, When quite a few insiders buy shares, as it happened in British Land Company PLC's (LON:BLND) case, it's fantastic news for shareholders.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

Check out our latest analysis for British Land

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At British Land

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by CEO & Director Simon Carter for UK£152k worth of shares, at about UK£3.57 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is UK£3.66. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it's a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. In this case we're pleased to report that the insider purchases were made at close to current prices.

In the last twelve months insiders purchased 92.12k shares for UK£321k. But insiders sold 34.25k shares worth UK£112k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by British Land insiders. 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!

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

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. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Based on our data, British Land insiders have about 0.09% of the stock, worth approximately UK£3.0m. We do note, however, it is possible insiders have an indirect interest through a private company or other corporate structure. We prefer to see high levels of insider ownership.

So What Do The British Land Insider Transactions Indicate?

The fact that there have been no British Land insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. We'd like to see bigger individual holdings. However, we don't see anything to make us think British Land insiders are doubting 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. Our analysis shows 2 warning signs for British Land (1 can't be ignored!) and we strongly recommend you look at these before investing.

But note: British Land may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE 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.