Trade Alert: The Chairman of the Board Of Fluidigm Corporation (NASDAQ:FLDM), Samuel Colella, Has Just Spent US$63k Buying Shares

Even if it's not a huge purchase, we think it was good to see that Samuel Colella, the Chairman of the Board of Fluidigm Corporation (NASDAQ:FLDM) recently shelled out US$63k to buy stock, at US$7.00 per share. However, we do note that it only increased their holding by 5.1%, and it wasn't a huge purchase by absolute value, either.

View our latest analysis for Fluidigm

Fluidigm Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent purchase by Samuel Colella was the biggest purchase of Fluidigm shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being US$6.98). Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. 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. Samuel Colella was the only individual insider to buy over the year.

You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

Insider Ownership

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. From looking at our data, insiders own US$4.9m worth of Fluidigm stock, about 1.0% of the company. We consider this fairly low insider ownership.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Fluidigm Insiders?

It is good to see the recent insider purchase. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. But we don't feel the same about the fact the company is making losses. On this analysis the only slight negative we see is the fairly low (overall) insider ownership; their transactions suggest that they are quite positive on Fluidigm stock. 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.

Of course Fluidigm 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.

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.