The recent 22% drop in VIQ Solutions Inc.'s (TSE:VQS) stock could come as a blow to insiders who purchased US$256k worth of stock at an average buy price of US$1.70 over the past 12 months. Insiders invest with the hopes of seeing their money grow in value over time. However, as a result of recent losses, their initial investment is now only worth US$204k, which is not what they expected.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

See our latest analysis for VIQ Solutions

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At VIQ Solutions

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Independent Director Bradley Wells bought CA$120k worth of shares at a price of CA$1.99 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of CA$1.36. It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. 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.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid CA$256k for 150.11k shares. But they sold 1.70k shares for CA$4.6k. Overall, VIQ Solutions insiders were net buyers during the last year. The average buy price was around CA$1.70. These transactions suggest that insiders have considered the current price attractive. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart 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).

Insiders at VIQ Solutions Have Bought Stock Recently

It's good to see that VIQ Solutions insiders have made notable investments in the company's shares. Overall, seven insiders shelled out CA$243k for shares in the company -- and none sold. That shows some optimism about the company's future.

Does VIQ Solutions Boast High 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. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It appears that VIQ Solutions insiders own 19% of the company, worth about CA$8.7m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.