Insiders who acquired US$462k worth of NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:NGM) stock at an average price of US$3.56 in the past 12 months may be dismayed by the recent 15% price decline. This is not good as insiders invest based on expectations that their money will appreciate over time. However, as a result of recent losses, their original investment is now worth only US$170k.
Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.
View our latest analysis for NGM Biopharmaceuticals
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At NGM Biopharmaceuticals
In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Lead Independent Director David Goeddel bought US$462k worth of shares at a price of US$3.79 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher than US$1.31 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. 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 when an insider has bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was David Goeddel.
The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. 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).
Does NGM Biopharmaceuticals Boast High Insider Ownership?
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. Our data indicates that NGM Biopharmaceuticals insiders own about US$6.3m worth of shares (which is 5.8% of the company). Whilst better than nothing, we're not overly impressed by these holdings.
So What Does This Data Suggest About NGM Biopharmaceuticals Insiders?
There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. The transactions are fine but it'd be more encouraging if NGM Biopharmaceuticals insiders bought more shares in the company. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. To assist with this, we've discovered 3 warning signs that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of NGM Biopharmaceuticals.