Read This Before Selling BT Group plc (LON:BT.A) Shares
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It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in BT Group plc (LON:BT.A).
What Is Insider Buying?
It’s quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.
We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Harvard University study found that ‘insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.’
See our latest analysis for BT Group
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At BT Group
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by CFO & Executive Director Simon Lowth for UK£298k worth of shares, at about UK£2.13 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price. 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. Nonetheless, we consider it positive if insiders want to buy at around the current share price.
Happily, we note that in the last year insiders bought 377.08k shares for a total of UK£783k. In total, BT Group insiders bought more than they sold over the last year. They paid about UK£2.08 on average. It’s great to see insiders putting their own cash into the company’s stock, albeit at below the recent share price (UK£2.32). You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by 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!
If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.
Insider Ownership of BT Group
Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it’s a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that BT Group insiders own 0.05% of the company, worth about UK£12m. We’ve certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.
What Might The Insider Transactions At BT Group Tell Us?
It doesn’t really mean much that no insider has traded BT Group shares in the last quarter. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Insiders do have a stake in BT Group and their transactions don’t cause us concern. Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for BT Group.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.
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.
