We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So before you buy or sell Centrepoint Alliance Limited (ASX:CAF), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.

Do Insider Transactions Matter?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a 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 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 Centrepoint Alliance

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Centrepoint Alliance

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when insider Alexander Damien Beard bought AU$1.1m worth of shares at a price of AU$0.10 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is AU$0.12. 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. While we always like to see insider buying, it's less meaningful if the purchases were made at much lower prices, as the opportunity they saw may have passed. Happily, the Centrepoint Alliance insiders decided to buy shares at close to current prices.

Centrepoint Alliance insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

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

Centrepoint Alliance Insiders Bought Stock Recently

Over the last quarter, Centrepoint Alliance insiders have spent a meaningful amount on shares. Not only was there no selling that we can see, but they collectively bought AU$1.1m worth of shares. This makes one think the business has some good points.

Does Centrepoint Alliance Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It appears that Centrepoint Alliance insiders own 16% of the company, worth about AU$2.8m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Centrepoint Alliance Tell Us?

It is good to see recent purchasing. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. But we don't feel the same about the fact the company is making losses. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest Centrepoint Alliance insiders are well aligned, and that they may think the share price is too low. I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can find historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph.

But note: Centrepoint Alliance 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.

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.