How Much Are Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAWW) Insiders Spending On Buying Shares?

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 Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAWW).

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, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.

We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise'.

Check out our latest analysis for Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings

Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Executive VP & Chief Commercial Officer Michael Steen for US$527k worth of shares, at about US$18.12 per share. Even though the purchase was made at a significantly lower price than the recent price (US$60.61), we still think insider buying is a positive. Because the shares were purchased at a lower price, this particular buy doesn't tell us much about how insiders feel about the current share price.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$618k for 34.65k shares. But they sold 5.50k shares for US$332k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings insiders. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings 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.

Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Insiders Are Selling The Stock

The last three months saw significant insider selling at Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings. In total, insiders sold US$332k worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. This may suggest that some insiders think that the shares are not cheap.

Does Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings 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. Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings insiders own about US$32m worth of shares. That equates to 2.0% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Tell Us?

Insiders sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. But we take heart from prior transactions. We like that insiders own a fair amount of the company. So we're happy enough to look past some selling. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings. At Simply Wall St, we've found that Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings has 3 warning signs (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.

But note: Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings 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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