Investors who take an interest in Gattaca plc (LON:GATC) should definitely note that the Non-Executive Deputy Chairman, George Douglas Materna, recently paid UK£2.22 per share to buy UK£222k worth of the stock. While that's a very decent purchase to our minds, it was proportionally a bit modest, boosting their holding by just 1.3%.

Check out our latest analysis for Gattaca

Gattaca Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent purchase by George Douglas Materna is the biggest insider purchase of Gattaca shares that we've seen in the last year. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being UK£2.21). It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. 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.

Gattaca insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and 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!

Gattaca is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Insider Ownership of Gattaca

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. Insiders own 33% of Gattaca shares, worth about UK£23m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Gattaca Insiders?

The recent insider purchases are heartening. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. However, we note that the company didn't make a profit over the last twelve months, which makes us cautious. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of Gattaca we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. At Simply Wall St, we've found that Gattaca has 2 warning signs (1 is potentially serious!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.

But note: Gattaca 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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