Investors who take an interest in Medicenna Therapeutics Corp. (TSE:MDNA) should definitely note that the Non-Executive Independent Director, Albert Beraldo, recently paid CA$1.30 per share to buy CA$260k worth of the stock. That certainly has us anticipating the best, especially since they thusly increased their own holding by 800%, potentially signalling some real optimism.

See our latest analysis for Medicenna Therapeutics

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Medicenna Therapeutics

In fact, the recent purchase by Albert Beraldo was the biggest purchase of Medicenna Therapeutics 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 above the current price of CA$1.15. 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 Medicenna Therapeutics insiders bought shares last year, they didn't sell. The average buy price was around CA$1.12. These transactions show that insiders have confidence to invest their own money in the stock, albeit at slightly below the recent price. 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!

Medicenna Therapeutics 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.

Insider Ownership

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that Medicenna Therapeutics insiders own 31% of the company, worth about CA$12m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

So What Do The Medicenna Therapeutics Insider Transactions Indicate?

It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. However, we note that the company didn't make a profit over the last twelve months, which makes us cautious. Insiders likely see value in Medicenna Therapeutics shares, given these transactions (along with notable insider ownership of the company). Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for Medicenna Therapeutics.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting 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.

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.

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. Thank you for reading.