Helios Towers' Richard Byrne Acquires 28% More Stock

Potential Helios Towers plc (LON:HTWS) shareholders may wish to note that insider Richard Byrne recently bought UK£204k worth of stock, paying UK£0.94 for each share. That's a very decent purchase to our minds and it grew their holding by a solid 28%.

See our latest analysis for Helios Towers

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Helios Towers

Notably, that recent purchase by Richard Byrne is the biggest insider purchase of Helios Towers shares that we've seen in the last year. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being UK£0.94). Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. 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.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid UK£293k for 320.58k shares. But insiders sold 18.13k shares worth UK£17k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Helios Towers insiders. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

Helios Towers is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find small cap companies at attractive valuations, this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insider Ownership Of Helios Towers

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Our data indicates that Helios Towers insiders own about UK£5.9m worth of shares (which is 0.6% of the company). However, it's possible that insiders might have an indirect interest through a more complex structure. Whilst better than nothing, we're not overly impressed by these holdings.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Helios Towers Insiders?

It is good to see the recent insider purchase. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. But on the other hand, the company made a loss during the last year, which makes us a little cautious. We would certainly prefer see higher levels of insider ownership but analysis of the insider transactions suggests that Helios Towers insiders are expecting a bright future. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. While conducting our analysis, we found that Helios Towers has 1 warning sign and it would be unwise to ignore it.

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.