We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So before you buy or sell Alliance Data Systems Corporation (NYSE:ADS), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.
What Is Insider Buying?
Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock in the company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.
We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own company’s stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'.
See our latest analysis for Alliance Data Systems
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Alliance Data Systems
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by insider Bruce Anderson for US$291k worth of shares, at about US$29.06 per share. Even though the purchase was made at a significantly lower price than the recent price (US$73.74), we still think insider buying is a positive. Because the shares were purchased at a lower price, this particular buy doesn't tell us much about how insiders feel about the current share price.
Alliance Data Systems insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. 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!
Alliance Data Systems is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.
Does Alliance Data Systems 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's great to see that Alliance Data Systems insiders own 2.8% of the company, worth about US$103m. 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 Alliance Data Systems Insiders?
The fact that there have been no Alliance Data Systems insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. It would be great to see more insider buying, but overall it seems like Alliance Data Systems insiders are reasonably well aligned (owning significant chunk of the company's shares) and optimistic for the future. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. At Simply Wall St, we've found that Alliance Data Systems has 4 warning signs (1 shouldn't be ignored!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.