Whilst it may not be a huge deal, we thought it was good to see that the Helical plc (LON:HLCL) Independent Non-Executive Director, Joseph Lister, recently bought UK£25k worth of stock, for UK£4.00 per share. Even though that isn't a massive buy, it did increase their holding by 192%, which is arguably a good sign.

See our latest analysis for Helical

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Helical

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Senior Independent Director Richard Cotton bought UK£51k worth of shares at a price of UK£4.21 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of UK£3.94. 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. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when insiders have purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price.

While Helical insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! insider-trading-volume

Helical is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this freelist of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

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. It appears that Helical insiders own 13% of the company, worth about UK£61m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.



What Might The Insider Transactions At Helical Tell Us?

It is good to see recent purchasing. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. Insiders likely see value in Helical shares, given these transactions (along with notable insider ownership of the company). In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Helical. For example, Helical has 3 warning signs (and 1 which shouldn't be ignored) we think you should know about.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this freelist 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.

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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.