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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 we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. (NYSE:GPMT).
Do Insider Transactions Matter?
It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.
Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own company’s stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'.
See our latest analysis for Granite Point Mortgage Trust
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Granite Point Mortgage Trust
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Chief Operating Officer Steven Plust for US$197k worth of shares, at about US$18.56 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price of US$18.69. Of course they may have changed their mind. But this suggests they are optimistic. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. Happily, the Granite Point Mortgage Trust insider decided to buy shares at close to current prices. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Steven Plust.
The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!
Granite Point Mortgage Trust is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.
Insider Ownership of Granite Point Mortgage Trust
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. Insiders own 1.9% of Granite Point Mortgage Trust shares, worth about US$19m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.