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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 shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Mitie Group plc (LON:MTO).
Do Insider Transactions Matter?
It’s quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.
We don’t think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. For example, a Harvard University study found that ‘insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.’
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Mitie Group Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Group CEO & Executive Director Phil Bentley made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for UK£200k worth of shares at a price of UK£1.36 each. So it’s clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. We generally consider it a positive if insiders have been buying on market, even above the current price. Phil Bentley was the only individual insider to buy over the year.
Phil Bentley bought a total of 147.09k shares over the year at an average price of UK£1.36. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!
There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.
Insider Ownership of Mitie Group
I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Our data suggests Mitie Group insiders own 0.6% of the company, worth about UK£2.6m. We prefer to see high levels of insider ownership.
So What Do The Mitie Group Insider Transactions Indicate?
It’s certainly positive to see the recent insider purchase. 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. While the overall levels of insider ownership are below what we’d like to see, the history of transactions imply that Mitie Group insiders are reasonably well aligned, and optimistic for the future. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.