Yahoo Finance Insiders who bought this year lost UK£132k as Open Orphan plc (LON:ORPH) sheds UK£17m in value
The recent 13% drop in Open Orphan plc's (LON:ORPH) stock could come as a blow to insiders who purchased UK£350k worth of stock at an average buy price of UK£0.27 over the past 12 months. Insiders invest with the hopes of seeing their money grow in value over time. However, as a result of recent losses, their initial investment is now only worth UK£218k, which is not what they expected.
Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.
See our latest analysis for Open Orphan
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Open Orphan
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Executive Chairman Cathal Friel for UK£300k worth of shares, at about UK£0.27 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher than UK£0.17 (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 generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels.
In the last twelve months Open Orphan insiders were buying shares, but not selling. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and 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!
There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).
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. Our data indicates that Open Orphan insiders own about UK£5.5m worth of shares (which is 5.0% of the company). Overall, this level of ownership isn't that impressive, but it's certainly better than nothing!
What Might The Insider Transactions At Open Orphan Tell Us?
It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Open Orphan shares in the last quarter. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. The transactions are fine but it'd be more encouraging if Open Orphan insiders bought more shares in the company. 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. For example - Open Orphan has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.
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, 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.
