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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 Piedmont Lithium Limited (ASX:PLL).
What Is Insider Selling?
It's quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.
We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.
View our latest analysis for Piedmont Lithium
Piedmont Lithium Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Non-Executive Chairman Ian Middlemas for AU$210k worth of shares, at about AU$0.11 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is AU$0.14. Of course they may have changed their mind. But this suggests they are optimistic. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it's a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. In this case we're pleased to report that the insider purchases were made at close to current prices.
While Piedmont Lithium insiders bought shares last year, they didn't sell. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!
Piedmont Lithium 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 Piedmont Lithium
Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by 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. From our data, it seems that Piedmont Lithium insiders own 10.0% of the company, worth about AU$12m. We do generally prefer see higher levels of insider ownership.
So What Do The Piedmont Lithium Insider Transactions Indicate?
There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Overall we don't see anything to make us think Piedmont Lithium insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for Piedmont Lithium.