Yahoo Finance This Western Union Insider Increased Their Holding By 170% Last Year \
Insiders were net buyers of The Western Union Company's (NYSE:WU ) stock during the past year. That is, insiders bought more stock than they sold.
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 Western Union
Western Union Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
The Independent Non-Executive Chairman of the Board Jeffrey Joerres made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$99k worth of shares at a price of US$12.84 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being US$11.96). Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when an insider has purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price. Jeffrey Joerres was the only individual insider to buy during the last year.
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!
Western Union is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.
Does Western Union Boast High Insider Ownership?
Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 0.7% of Western Union shares, worth about US$31m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.
So What Does This Data Suggest About Western Union Insiders?
It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Western Union 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 Western Union and their transactions don't cause us concern. 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. To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Western Union (including 2 which are potentially serious).
But note: Western Union 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.
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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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