Yahoo Finance Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC) is up 7.1%, but insiders still continue to see a loss of US$167k on their US$695k investment
Insiders who bought US$695k worth of Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC) stock in the last year recovered part of their losses as the stock rose by 7.1% last week. However, the purchase is proving to be a costly gamble, since losses made by insiders have totalled US$167k since the time of purchase.
While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.
Check out our latest analysis for Stewart Information Services
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Stewart Information Services
The CEO & Director Frederick Eppinger made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$200k worth of shares at a price of US$66.70 each. That means that even when the share price was higher than US$43.62 (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. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when insiders have purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price.
Stewart Information Services insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. Their average price was about US$57.41. This is nice to see since it implies that insiders might see value around current prices. 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!
Stewart Information Services 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.
Insider Ownership Of Stewart Information Services
Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Stewart Information Services insiders own about US$20m worth of shares. That equates to 1.7% 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.
So What Do The Stewart Information Services Insider Transactions Indicate?
It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Stewart Information Services shares in the last quarter. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Insiders do have a stake in Stewart Information Services and their transactions don't cause us concern. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. For example - Stewart Information Services has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting 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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