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Insider buying can be an encouraging signal for potential investors, especially when markets face uncertainty.
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A pair of chief executives and an executive board chair were among the insiders making purchases this week.
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A media company, an e-commerce play and a real estate investment trust saw notable insider purchasing of shares.
Conventional wisdom says that insiders and 10% owners really only buy shares of a company for one reason — they believe the stock price will rise and they want to profit from it. So insider buying can be an encouraging signal for potential investors, particularly when there is uncertainty in the markets or the markets are near all-time highs.
Plenty of insiders are now adding to their stakes this earnings season. Here are some of the most noteworthy insider purchases that were reported in the past week.
Ahead of last week's mixed earnings report, a director acquired a whopping 8.1 million Alphatec Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: ATEC) shares. At $11.11 per share, the total came to about $90 million. Shares of this medtech company ended the week trading at $15.24, which represents a 37% or so gain for that director.
A director at online retailer Wayfair Inc (NYSE: W) stepped up to the buy window late last week. He indirectly added 48,000 shares to his stake. At prices ranging from $279.85 to $286.91, that totaled more than $13.60 million. The stock ended the week well above that purchase price range, at $295.66 a share.
Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) has unveiled its climate change goals, and two directors picked up over $11.38 million worth of shares this past week. That was 202,000 shares costing between $56.24 and $57.50 apiece. The stock ended last week, which included an OPEC meeting, trading at $60.93 per share.
The more than 677,800 Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE: EPD) shares acquired via family trust by one director this past week had prices ranging from $22.21 to $23.25 apiece. That cost that director over $15.39 million, and it raised his stake in the midstream energy company to more than 4.91 million shares.
A director indirectly purchased around 1.62 million Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IRWD) shares for $9.56 to $10.02 apiece last week. Those transactions cost the director nearly $15.85 million. The timing looks fortunate here, as the stock ended the week at $10.11 a share.
After a new Mack Cali Realty Corp (NYSE: CLI) chief executive officer was named, a director indirectly purchased 442,000 shares of this real estate investment trust. At prices of around $14.51 per share, that totaled more than $6.41 million, and it lifted that director's stake to nearly 2.97 million shares.