Those following along with Aurelia Metals Limited (ASX:AMI) will no doubt be intrigued by the recent purchase of shares by Franklyn Brazil, Non-Executive Nominee Director of the company, who spent a stonking AU$2.6m on stock at an average price of AU$0.15. There's no denying a buy of that magnitude suggests conviction in a brighter future, although we do note that proportionally it only increased their holding by 5.5%.

View our latest analysis for Aurelia Metals

Aurelia Metals Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent purchase by Franklyn Brazil was the biggest purchase of Aurelia Metals shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That implies that an insider found the current price of AU$0.17 per share to be enticing. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. While we always like to see insider buying, it's less meaningful if the purchases were made at much lower prices, as the opportunity they saw may have passed. The good news for Aurelia Metals share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price.

Aurelia Metals insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart 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. If investing in lesser known companies is your style, you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

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. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that Aurelia Metals insiders own 20% of the company, worth about AU$56m. 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 Does This Data Suggest About Aurelia Metals Insiders?

It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. But on the other hand, the company made a loss during the last year, which makes us a little cautious. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of Aurelia Metals we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.