Dexus (ASX:DXS) Insiders Increased Their Holdings

We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Dexus (ASX:DXS).

What Is Insider Buying?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.

Check out our latest analysis for Dexus

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Dexus

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Independent Non-Executive Chairman of DEXUS Funds Management Limited Wallace Sheppard for AU$200k worth of shares, at about AU$11.99 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher than AU$9.22 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price.

While Dexus insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. Their average price was about AU$10.01. This is nice to see since it implies that insiders might see value around current prices. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

Dexus is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Dexus Insiders Bought Stock Recently

Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider buying at Dexus. We can see that insider Patrick Newton Allaway paid AU$90k for shares in the company. No-one sold. This is a positive in our book as it implies some confidence.

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. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Our data indicates that Dexus insiders own about AU$9.0m worth of shares (which is 0.09% of the company). Whilst better than nothing, we're not overly impressed by these holdings.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Dexus Tell Us?

The recent insider purchase is heartening. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. We would certainly prefer see higher levels of insider ownership but analysis of the insider transactions suggests that Dexus insiders are expecting a bright future. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. To help with this, we've discovered 3 warning signs (1 is concerning!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in Dexus.

But note: Dexus 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, but not derivative transactions.

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. 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.

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