Ashley Services Group Limited (ASX:ASH) insiders who purchased shares in the last 12 months were richly rewarded last week. The stock climbed by 24% resulting in a AU$8.9m addition to the company’s market value. Put another way, the original AU$99.7k acquisition is now worth AU$188.8k.
While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Ashley Services Group
In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when MD & Executive Director Ross Shrimpton bought AU$82k worth of shares at a price of AU$0.16 per share. Although we like to see insider buying, we note that this large purchase was at significantly below the recent price of AU$0.32. 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.
In the last twelve months Ashley Services Group insiders were buying shares, but not selling. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!
Check out our latest analysis for Ashley Services Group
Ashley Services Group is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find small cap companies at attractive valuations, this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.
Does Ashley Services Group Boast High Insider Ownership?
For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It's great to see that Ashley Services Group insiders own 66% of the company, worth about AU$31m. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.
So What Does This Data Suggest About Ashley Services Group Insiders?
The fact that there have been no Ashley Services Group insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. It would be great to see more insider buying, but overall it seems like Ashley Services Group insiders are reasonably well aligned (owning significant chunk of the company's shares) and optimistic for the 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. Be aware that Ashley Services Group is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those can't be ignored...
If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity 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 of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.
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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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.