Yahoo Finance Read This Before Selling Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:PDM) Shares
We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:PDM).
What Is Insider Selling?
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, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.
Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year'.
See our latest analysis for Piedmont Office Realty Trust
Piedmont Office Realty Trust Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Independent Director Jeffrey Swope bought US$232k worth of shares at a price of US$11.60 per share. Although we like to see insider buying, we note that this large purchase was at significantly below the recent price of US$20.26. Because it occurred at a lower valuation, it doesn't tell us much about whether insiders might find today's price attractive.
While Piedmont Office Realty Trust insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!
Piedmont Office Realty Trust is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.
Does Piedmont Office Realty Trust Boast High Insider Ownership?
For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. It appears that Piedmont Office Realty Trust insiders own 1.5% of the company, worth about US$37m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.
So What Does This Data Suggest About Piedmont Office Realty Trust Insiders?
The fact that there have been no Piedmont Office Realty Trust insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Insiders own shares in Piedmont Office Realty Trust and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Piedmont Office Realty Trust. To help with this, we've discovered 4 warning signs (2 are a bit concerning!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in Piedmont Office Realty Trust.
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. 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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