Yahoo Finance Non-Executive Chairman Michael Ruane Just Bought 7.6% More Shares In Empire Resources Limited (ASX:ERL)
Even if it's not a huge purchase, we think it was good to see that Michael Ruane, the Non-Executive Chairman of Empire Resources Limited (ASX:ERL) recently shelled out AU$63k to buy stock, at AU$0.009 per share. However, it only increased their shares held by 7.6%, and it wasn't a huge purchase by absolute value, either.
See our latest analysis for Empire Resources
Empire Resources Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Notably, that recent purchase by Non-Executive Chairman Michael Ruane was not the only time they bought Empire Resources shares this year. Earlier in the year, they paid AU$0.011 per share in a AU$302k purchase. That means that even when the share price was higher than AU$0.009 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. 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.
Empire Resources insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and 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!
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.
Insider Ownership of Empire Resources
Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that Empire Resources insiders own 18% of the company, worth about AU$1.7m. 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 Does This Data Suggest About Empire Resources Insiders?
It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. However, we note that the company didn't make a profit over the last twelve months, which makes us cautious. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest Empire Resources insiders are well aligned, and that they may think the share price is too low. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Empire Resources. Our analysis shows 4 warning signs for Empire Resources (2 shouldn't be ignored!) and we strongly recommend you look at them before investing.
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.
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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.
