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It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Veris Limited (ASX:VRS).
What Is Insider Selling?
It's quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. 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 it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.'
See our latest analysis for Veris
Veris Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Independent Non-Executive Director Thomas Lawrence made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for AU$360k worth of shares at a price of AU$0.09 each. That means that even when the share price was higher than AU$0.058 (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. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels.
In the last twelve months insiders paid AU$1.1m for 10.8m shares purchased. While Veris insiders bought shares last year, they didn't sell. They paid about AU$0.10 on average. These transactions suggest that insiders have considered the current price attractive. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!
Veris is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.
Have Veris Insiders Traded Recently?
Independent Non-Executive Director Karl Paganin bought just AU$4.3k worth of shares in that time. That's not much at all. Looking at the net result, we don't think these recent trades shed much light on how insiders, as a group, are feeling about the company's prospects.
Insider Ownership
Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that Veris insiders own 23% of the company, worth about AU$5.3m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.