We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So before you buy or sell Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAWW), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.
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, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.
Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own company’s stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'.
See our latest analysis for Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Independent Director John Wulff for US$199k worth of shares, at about US$39.75 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher than US$22.64 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. It is encouraging to see an insider paid above the current price for shares, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels. John Wulff was the only individual insider to buy shares in the last twelve months.
You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.
Does Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings 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. Insiders own 2.2% of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings shares, worth about US$13m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.