Yahoo Finance Element Solutions Inc (NYSE:ESI) is up 5.4%, while insiders who purchased US$5.8m are up 92%
Element Solutions Inc (NYSE:ESI) insiders who bought shares over the past year were rewarded handsomely last week. The stock rose 5.4%, resulting in a US$277m rise in the company's market capitalisation. In other words, the original US$5.8m purchase is now worth US$11m.
Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.
Check out our latest analysis for Element Solutions
Element Solutions Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
The Founder & Executive Chairman Martin Ellis Franklin made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$5.8m worth of shares at a price of US$11.50 each. Even though the purchase was made at a significantly lower price than the recent price (US$22.05), we still think insider buying is a positive. Because the shares were purchased at a lower price, this particular buy doesn't tell us much about how insiders feel about the current share price.
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).
Does Element Solutions Boast High Insider Ownership?
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. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Element Solutions insiders own 6.6% of the company, currently worth about US$361m 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 Element Solutions Insider Transactions Indicate?
It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Element Solutions shares in the last quarter. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. With high insider ownership and encouraging transactions, it seems like Element Solutions insiders think the business has merit. 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. You'd be interested to know, that we found 1 warning sign for Element Solutions and we suggest you have a look.
If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity 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.
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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