Investors who take an interest in AstraZeneca PLC (LON:AZN) should definitely note that the Independent Chairman, Michel Demare, recently paid UK£121 per share to buy UK£303k worth of the stock. That's a very decent purchase to our minds and it grew their holding by a solid 25%.
AstraZeneca Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the insider, Mani Sharma, for UK£1.6m worth of shares, at about UK£138 per share. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. The silver lining is that this sell-down took place above the latest price (UK£121). So it is hard to draw any strong conclusion from it.
Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 2.52k shares worth UK£305k. On the other hand they divested 12.19k shares, for UK£1.7m. All up, insiders sold more shares in AstraZeneca than they bought, over the last year. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!
Check out our latest analysis for AstraZeneca
If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: Most of them are flying under the radar).
Insider Ownership Of AstraZeneca
Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. AstraZeneca insiders own 0.04% of the company, currently worth about UK£75m based on the recent share price. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.
So What Does This Data Suggest About AstraZeneca Insiders?
It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. However, the longer term transactions are not so encouraging. While recent transactions indicate confidence in AstraZeneca, insiders don't own enough of the company to overcome our cautiousness about the longer term transactions. Overall they seem reasonably aligned. While it's good to be aware of what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. To assist with this, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of AstraZeneca.
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 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.