We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Moneysupermarket.com Group PLC (LON:MONY).

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.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. 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 Moneysupermarket.com Group

Moneysupermarket.com Group Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The Independent Chairman of the Board Robin Freestone made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for UK£134k worth of shares at a price of UK£3.36 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being UK£2.48). Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when an insider has purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price. Robin Freestone was the only individual insider to buy shares in the last twelve months.

The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

Moneysupermarket.com Group is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Does Moneysupermarket.com Group Boast High Insider Ownership?

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Our information indicates that Moneysupermarket.com Group insiders own about UK£673k worth of shares. It's always possible we are missing something but from our data, it looks like insider ownership is minimal.