Even if it's not a huge purchase, we think it was good to see that Ling Ling Qian, the Chairman of the Board of Nine Express Limited (HKG:9) recently shelled out HK$109k to buy stock, at HK$0.12 per share. However, we do note that it only increased their holding by 0.04%, and it wasn't a huge purchase by absolute value, either.

View our latest analysis for Nine Express

Nine Express Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent purchase by Chairman of the Board Ling Ling Qian was not their only acquisition of Nine Express shares this year. Earlier in the year, they paid HK$0.24 per share in a HK$349k purchase. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of HK$0.13. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. 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. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Ling Ling Qian.

Ling Ling Qian bought 7.14m shares over the last 12 months at an average price of HK$0.21. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by 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!

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Insider Ownership of Nine Express

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Nine Express insiders own 77% of the company, currently worth about HK$347m based on the recent share price. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Nine Express Insiders?

It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchase. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. But on the other hand, the company made a loss last year, which makes us a little cautious. Once you factor in the high insider ownership, it certainly seems like insiders are positive about Nine Express. Nice! I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can find historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph.