Have Insiders Been Buying De La Rue plc (LON:DLAR) Shares This Year?
We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. 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 De La Rue plc (LON:DLAR), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.
What Is Insider Buying?
Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock in the company. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.
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 De La Rue
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At De La Rue
In fact, the recent purchase by Clive Vacher was the biggest purchase of De La Rue shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price of UK£1.41. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it's a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. In this case we're pleased to report that the insider purchases were made at close to current prices.
Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid UK£156k for 99490 shares. But insiders sold 4656 shares worth UK£20k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by De La Rue insiders. Their average price was about UK£1.57. These transactions suggest that insiders have considered the current price attractive. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!
There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.
De La Rue Insiders Bought Stock Recently
Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider buying at De La Rue. In total, insiders bought UK£128k worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any sales whatsoever. That shows some optimism about the company's future.
Does De La Rue Boast High Insider Ownership?
Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Our data isn't picking up on much insider ownership at De La Rue, though insiders do hold about UK£437k worth of shares. It's always possible we are missing something but from our data, it looks like insider ownership is minimal.
What Might The Insider Transactions At De La Rue Tell Us?
The recent insider purchases are heartening. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. 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 De La Rue stock. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in De La Rue, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity 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.
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.
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. Thank you for reading.
