We’ve lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So before you buy or sell Aviat Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVNW), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.
Do Insider Transactions Matter?
It’s quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.
Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Columbia University study found that ‘insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own company’s stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers’.
View our latest analysis for Aviat Networks
Aviat Networks Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the insider, Heinz Stumpe, sold US$82k worth of shares at a price of US$13.63 per share. That means that an insider was selling shares at slightly below the current price (US$14.40). 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. 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. It is worth noting that this sale was only 24% of Heinz Stumpe’s holding. The only individual insider seller over the last year was Heinz Stumpe.
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!
If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).
Insider Ownership of Aviat Networks
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. Our data indicates that Aviat Networks insiders own about US$6.4m worth of shares (which is 8.5% of the company). We do generally prefer see higher levels of insider ownership.
So What Do The Aviat Networks Insider Transactions Indicate?
The fact that there have been no Aviat Networks insider transactions recently certainly doesn’t bother us. The insider transactions at Aviat Networks are not inspiring us to buy. We also note that, as far as we can see, insider ownership is fairly low, compared to other companies. Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for Aviat Networks.
Of course Aviat Networks 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.
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.
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