Did Tianjin Tianbao Energy Co., Ltd. (HKG:1671) Insiders Buy Up More Shares?

It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Tianjin Tianbao Energy Co., Ltd. (HKG:1671).

What Is Insider Buying?

It's quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.

We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.

Check out our latest analysis for Tianjin Tianbao Energy

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Tianjin Tianbao Energy

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when insider Yun Nan Yuan bought HK$5.3m worth of shares at a price of HK$1.93 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher than HK$1.11 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock when an insider has bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Yun Nan Yuan.

Yun Nan Yuan bought a total of 4396000 shares over the year at an average price of HK$1.75. 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!

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).

Does Tianjin Tianbao Energy Boast High 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. From looking at our data, insiders own HK$7.5m worth of Tianjin Tianbao Energy stock, about 4.2% of the company. We do note, however, it is possible insiders have an indirect interest through a private company or other corporate structure. I generally like to see higher levels of ownership.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Tianjin Tianbao Energy Insiders?

It is good to see the recent insider purchase. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. While the overall levels of insider ownership are below what we'd like to see, the history of transactions imply that Tianjin Tianbao Energy insiders are reasonably well aligned, and optimistic for the future. I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can find historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph.

Of course Tianjin Tianbao Energy may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality 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.

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.

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