Trade Alert: The President Of Enerplus Corporation (TSE:ERF), Ian Dundas, Has Just Spent CA$123k Buying 3.3% More Shares

Whilst it may not be a huge deal, we thought it was good to see that the Enerplus Corporation (TSE:ERF) President, Ian Dundas, recently bought CA$123k worth of stock, for CA$12.30 per share. Although the purchase is not a big one, increasing their shareholding by only 3.3%, it can be interpreted as a good sign.

See our latest analysis for Enerplus

Enerplus Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent purchase by President Ian Dundas was not their only acquisition of Enerplus shares this year. Earlier in the year, they paid CA$7.60 per share in a CA$228k purchase. Although we like to see insider buying, we note that this large purchase was at significantly below the recent price of CA$12.42. Because it occurred at a lower valuation, it doesn't tell us much about whether insiders might find today's price attractive.

In the last twelve months Enerplus insiders were buying shares, but not selling. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

insider-trading-volume

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 Enerplus

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company 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. Enerplus insiders own about CA$14m worth of shares. That equates to 0.4% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Enerplus Insiders?

It is good to see recent purchasing. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. However, we note that the company didn't make a profit over the last twelve months, which makes us cautious. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of Enerplus we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. At Simply Wall St, we found 2 warning signs for Enerplus that deserve your attention before buying any shares.

But note: Enerplus may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE 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.

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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