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Morguard Corporation (TSE:MRC) Insiders Have Been Selling

We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Morguard Corporation (TSE:MRC).

Do Insider Transactions Matter?

Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock on the market. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.

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We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. 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.’

Check out our latest analysis for Morguard

Morguard Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when Executive Vice President of Office & Industrial Asset Management – Morguard Investments Limited Gordon Vollmer sold CA$169k worth of shares at a price of CA$169 per share. That means that even when the share price was below the current price of CA$185, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. While sellers have a variety of reasons for selling, this isn’t particularly great to see. When an insider sells below the current price, it does tend to make us wonder about the current valuation. We note that the biggest single sale was 100% of Gordon Vollmer’s holding.

Over the last year, we note insiders sold 2.40k shares worth CA$416k. Over the last year we saw more insider selling of Morguard shares, than buying. The sellers received a price of around CA$174, on average. It’s not ideal to see that insiders have sold at around the current price. But we don’t put too much weight on the insider selling, since sellers could have personal reasons. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

TSX:MRC Recent Insider Trading, February 27th 2019
TSX:MRC Recent Insider Trading, February 27th 2019

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Morguard Insiders Are Selling The Stock

The last quarter saw substantial insider selling of Morguard shares. Specifically, Vice Chairman of the Board David King ditched CA$90k worth of shares in that time, and we didn’t record any purchases whatsoever. In light of this it’s hard to argue that all the directors think that the shares are a bargain.

Does Morguard Boast High Insider Ownership?

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. Morguard insiders own about CA$21m worth of shares. That equates to 1.0% of the company. We’ve certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Morguard Tell Us?

An insider sold stock recently, but they haven’t been buying. And there weren’t any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. But it is good to see that Morguard is growing earnings. While insiders do own shares, they don’t own a heap, and they have been selling. We’d think twice before buying! Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in Morguard, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.