Insider Spends US$63k Buying More Shares In Ascent Industries

Whilst it may not be a huge deal, we thought it was good to see that the Ascent Industries Co. (NASDAQ:ACNT) Vice President of Sales & Business Development, Anthony Pan, recently bought US$63k worth of stock, for US$11.66 per share. That purchase might not be huge but it did increase their holding by 44%.

Our free stock report includes 2 warning signs investors should be aware of before investing in Ascent Industries. Read for free now.

Ascent Industries Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Director, Christopher Hutter, sold US$183k worth of shares at a price of US$12.16 per share. That means that even when the share price was below the current price of US$12.73, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. When an insider sells below the current price, it suggests that they considered that lower price to be fair. That makes us wonder what they think of the (higher) recent valuation. Please do note, however, that sellers may have a variety of reasons for selling, so we don't know for sure what they think of the stock price. This single sale was just 2.4% of Christopher Hutter's stake. The only individual insider seller over the last year was Christopher Hutter.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 46.10k shares worth US$473k. On the other hand they divested 15.01k shares, for US$183k. Overall, Ascent Industries insiders were net buyers during the last year. Their average price was about US$10.25. To my mind it is good that insiders have invested their own money in the company. But we must note that the investments were made at well below today's share price. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

Check out our latest analysis for Ascent Industries

Ascent Industries 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.

Does Ascent Industries 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. It appears that Ascent Industries insiders own 18% of the company, worth about US$22m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

So What Do The Ascent Industries Insider Transactions Indicate?

Insider selling has just outweighed insider buying in the last three months. But the difference is small, and thus, not concerning. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Insiders own shares in Ascent Industries and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Ascent Industries. To that end, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Ascent Industries (including 1 which is a bit unpleasant).

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting 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 of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.

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