Over the last year, a good number of insiders have significantly increased their holdings in Metgasco Limited (ASX:MEL). This is encouraging because it indicates that insiders are more optimistic about the company’s prospects.
While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.
Check out our latest analysis for Metgasco
Metgasco Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by insider Douglas King for AU$1.5m worth of shares, at about AU$0.027 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher than AU$0.02 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. It’s very possible they regret the purchase, but it’s more likely they are bullish about the company. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. 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 Metgasco insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn’t sell. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and 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!
Metgasco 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.
Insiders At Metgasco Have Bought Stock Recently
Over the last three months, we’ve seen significant insider buying at Metgasco. In total, insiders bought AU$75k worth of shares in that time, and we didn’t record any sales whatsoever. That shows some optimism about the company’s future.
Does Metgasco 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 Metgasco insiders own 16% of the company, worth about AU$3.5m. 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 Metgasco Tell Us?
The recent insider purchases are heartening. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. But on the other hand, the company made a loss during the last year, which makes us a little cautious. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of Metgasco we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it’s beneficial to identify the risks facing Metgasco. For instance, we’ve identified 5 warning signs for Metgasco (3 can’t be ignored) you should be aware of.
Of course Metgasco may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality 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.
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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.
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