Viewing insider transactions for Viva Gold Corp.'s (CVE:VAU ) over the last year, we see that insiders were net buyers. This means that a larger number of shares were purchased by insiders in relation to shares sold.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

View our latest analysis for Viva Gold

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Viva Gold

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by insider William Philip Richards for CA$240k worth of shares, at about CA$0.12 per share. Even though the purchase was made at a significantly lower price than the recent price (CA$0.17), we still think insider buying is a positive. While it does suggest insiders consider the stock undervalued at lower prices, this transaction doesn't tell us much about what they think of current prices.

William Philip Richards bought 2.40m shares over the last 12 months at an average price of CA$0.12. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of undervalued small cap companies that insiders are buying.

Insiders At Viva Gold Have Sold Stock Recently

The last three months saw some Viva Gold insider selling. Insiders only netted CA$20k selling shares, in that period. Neither the lack of buying nor the presence of selling is heartening. But the volume sold is so low that it really doesn't bother us.

Insider Ownership Of Viva Gold

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Our data indicates that Viva Gold insiders own about CA$1.6m worth of shares (which is 7.0% of the company). However, it's possible that insiders might have an indirect interest through a more complex structure. Overall, this level of ownership isn't that impressive, but it's certainly better than nothing!

So What Does This Data Suggest About Viva Gold Insiders?

While there has not been any insider buying in the last three months, there has been selling. However, the sales are not big enough to concern us at all. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. While we have no worries about the insider transactions, we'd be more comfortable if they owned more Viva Gold stock. 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 Viva Gold has 5 warning signs (2 are a bit unpleasant!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.