Yahoo Finance Great news for Cranswick plc (LON:CWK): Insiders acquired stock in large numbers last year
It is usually uneventful when a single insider buys stock. However, When quite a few insiders buy shares, as it happened in Cranswick plc's (LON:CWK) case, it's fantastic news for shareholders.
Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.
See our latest analysis for Cranswick
Cranswick Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the CFO & Executive Director, Mark Bottomley, for UK£80k worth of shares, at about UK£29.97 per share. That means that an insider was selling shares at slightly below the current price (UK£31.58). When an insider sells below the current price, it suggests that they considered that lower price to be fair. That makes us wonder what they think of the (higher) recent valuation. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. We note that the biggest single sale was only 2.3% of Mark Bottomley's holding. Mark Bottomley was the only individual insider to sell over the last year.
In the last twelve months insiders purchased 4.23k shares for UK£131k. But they sold 2.67k shares for UK£80k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Cranswick insiders. 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!
There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).
Cranswick Insiders Bought Stock Recently
Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider buying at Cranswick. In total, insiders bought UK£90k worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any sales whatsoever. That shows some optimism about the company's future.
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. Insiders own 0.9% of Cranswick shares, worth about UK£16m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.
So What Do The Cranswick Insider Transactions Indicate?
It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest Cranswick insiders are well aligned, and that they may think the share price is too low. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 1 warning sign with Cranswick and understanding it should be part of your investment process.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.
For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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