Yahoo Finance Read This Before Selling PGS ASA (OB:PGS) Shares
We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So before you buy or sell PGS ASA (OB:PGS), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.
Do Insider Transactions Matter?
Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock in the 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 it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.'
Check out our latest analysis for PGS
PGS Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by insider Kai Reith for kr569k worth of shares, at about kr16.25 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being kr11.00). Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price.
Happily, we note that in the last year insiders bought 186k shares for a total of kr2.5m. In the last twelve months PGS insiders were buying shares, but not selling. They paid about kr13.60 on average. I'd consider this a positive as it suggests insiders see value at around the current price. The chart below shows insider transactions (by 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 plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.
Insiders at PGS Have Bought Stock Recently
Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider buying at PGS. In total, insiders bought US$1.8m worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any sales whatsoever. This could be interpreted as suggesting a positive outlook.
Insider Ownership of PGS
I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Our data isn't picking up on much insider ownership at PGS, though insiders do hold about kr8.5m worth of shares. This level of insider ownership is notably low, and not very encouraging.
So What Do The PGS Insider Transactions Indicate?
It is good to see recent purchasing. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. But on the other hand, the company made a loss last year, which makes us a little cautious. We would certainly prefer see higher levels of insider ownership but analysis of the insider transactions suggests that PGS insiders are expecting a bright future. Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for PGS.
But note: PGS may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.
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.
