50% Of This Europris Insider's Holdings Were Sold

From what we can see, insiders were net sellers in Europris ASA's (OB:EPR ) during the past 12 months. That is, insiders sold the stock in greater numbers than they purchased it.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

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Europris Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Independent Director, Pal Wibe, sold kr11m worth of shares at a price of kr73.68 per share. That means that an insider was selling shares at slightly below the current price (kr79.00). We generally consider it a negative if insiders have been selling, especially if they did so below the current price, because it implies that they considered a lower price to be reasonable. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. This single sale was 50% of Pal Wibe's stake. Pal Wibe was the only individual insider to sell over the last year.

The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

Check out our latest analysis for Europris

I will like Europris better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of undervalued and small cap stocks with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Europris Insiders Bought Stock Recently

We saw some Europris insider buying shares in the last three months. Independent Director Jon Klafstad shelled out kr300k for shares in that time. It's good to see the insider buying, as well as the lack of recent sellers. However, in this case the amount invested recently is quite small.

Insider Ownership Of Europris

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Europris insiders own about kr373m worth of shares. That equates to 2.9% of the company. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Europris Insiders?

It is good to see the recent insider purchase. However, the longer term transactions are not so encouraging. The high levels of insider ownership, and the recent buying by an insider suggests they are well aligned and optimistic. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. While conducting our analysis, we found that Europris has 1 warning sign and it would be unwise to ignore it.

But note: Europris 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.