Yahoo Finance Need To Know: 888 Holdings plc (LON:888) Insiders Have Been Selling Shares
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 before you buy or sell 888 Holdings plc (LON:888), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.
Do Insider Transactions Matter?
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'.
View our latest analysis for 888 Holdings
888 Holdings Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the Director, Itai Frieberger, for UK£3.0m worth of shares, at about UK£1.52 per share. That means that even when the share price was slightly below the current price of UK£1.53, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. We generally consider it a negative if insiders have been selling, especially if they did so below the current price, because it implies that they considered a lower price to be reasonable. 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. It is worth noting that this sale was only 36% of Itai Frieberger's holding. Itai Frieberger was the only individual insider to sell shares in the last twelve months.
You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!
For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.
888 Holdings Insiders Bought Stock Recently
Over the last quarter, 888 Holdings insiders have spent a meaningful amount on shares. We can see that Independent Non-Executive Director Mark Summerfield paid US$46k for shares in the company. No-one sold. This makes one think the business has some good points.
Does 888 Holdings Boast High Insider Ownership?
Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. 888 Holdings insiders own 26% of the company, currently worth about UK£145m based on the recent share price. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.
So What Do The 888 Holdings Insider Transactions Indicate?
We note a that there has been a bit of insider buying recently (but no selling). That said, the purchases were not large. It's heartening that insiders own plenty of stock, but we'd like to see more insider buying, since the last year of 888 Holdings insider transactions don't fill us with confidence. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.
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.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
