Read This Before Buying Hexagon AB (publ) (STO:HEXA B) Shares

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We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So before you buy or sell Hexagon AB (publ) (STO:HEXA B), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.

What Is Insider Buying?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.

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. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.'

View our latest analysis for Hexagon

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Hexagon

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the CEO, President & Director, Ola Rollén, for kr315m worth of shares, at about kr539 per share. So what is clear is that an insider saw fit to sell at around the current price of kr482. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take price at a lower price. In this case, the big sale took place at around the current price, so it's not too bad (but it's still not a positive). Ola Rollén was the only individual insider to sell over the last year.

You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

Insider Ownership of Hexagon

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Hexagon insiders own about kr387m worth of shares. That equates to 0.2% 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 Do The Hexagon Insider Transactions Indicate?

It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Hexagon shares in the last quarter. It's great to see high levels of insider ownership, but looking back at the last year, we don't gain confidence from the Hexagon insiders selling. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

But note: Hexagon 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 aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

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. Thank you for reading.