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It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Coats Group plc (LON:COA).
What Is Insider Buying?
It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.
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 Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year'.
Check out our latest analysis for Coats Group
Coats Group Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
The Chairman of the Board Michael Clasper made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for UK£121k worth of shares at a price of UK£0.60 each. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of UK£0.59. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price.
While Coats Group insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. 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 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 Coats Group
Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. From our data, it seems that Coats Group insiders own 0.5% of the company, worth about UK£4.7m. We do generally prefer see higher levels of insider ownership.
So What Does This Data Suggest About Coats Group Insiders?
The fact that there have been no Coats Group insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. While we have no worries about the insider transactions, we'd be more comfortable if they owned more Coats Group stock. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Coats Group. For example - Coats Group has 3 warning signs we think you should be aware of.