Bullish ASM International Insiders Loaded Up On €1.45m Of Stock

Quite a few insiders have dramatically grown their holdings in ASM International NV (AMS:ASM) over the past 12 months. An insider's optimism about the company's prospects is a positive sign.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

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The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At ASM International

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the CFO & Member of Management Board, Paulus Antonius Henricus Verhagen, sold €979k worth of shares at a price of €607 per share. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. It's of some comfort that this sale was conducted at a price well above the current share price, which is €468. So it may not shed much light on insider confidence at current levels. The only individual insider seller over the last year was Paulus Antonius Henricus Verhagen.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 3.65k shares worth €1.4m. But they sold 1.61k shares for €979k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by ASM International insiders. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

See our latest analysis for ASM International

ASM International 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.

Insiders At ASM International Have Bought Stock Recently

Over the last quarter, ASM International insiders have spent a meaningful amount on shares. Overall, two insiders shelled out €1.3m for shares in the company -- and none sold. This is a positive in our book as it implies some confidence.

Insider Ownership Of ASM International

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It appears that ASM International insiders own 0.1% of the company, worth about €23m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Does This Data Suggest About ASM International Insiders?

It is good to see recent purchasing. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest ASM International insiders are well aligned, and that they may think the share price is too low. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing ASM International. You'd be interested to know, that we found 2 warning signs for ASM International and we suggest you have a look.

But note: ASM International 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.