It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Coca-Cola HBC AG (LON:CCH).
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 don’t think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. As Peter Lynch said, ‘insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise’.
See our latest analysis for Coca-Cola HBC
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Coca-Cola HBC
In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the General Counsel, Jan Gustavsson, sold UK£425k worth of shares at a price of UK£21.25 per share. That means that even when the share price was below the current price of UK£23.77, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. When an insider sells below the current price, it suggests that they considered that lower price to be fair. That makes us wonder what they think of the (higher) recent valuation. However, while insider selling is sometimes discouraging, it’s only a weak signal. This single sale was just 8.5% of Jan Gustavsson’s stake. Jan Gustavsson was the only individual insider to sell shares in the last twelve months.
Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid UK£119k for 7.68k shares. But they sold 20.00k shares for UK£425k. 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!
If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).
Does Coca-Cola HBC Boast High Insider Ownership?
Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by 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’s great to see that Coca-Cola HBC insiders own 0.9% of the company, worth about UK£76m. 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 Does This Data Suggest About Coca-Cola HBC Insiders?
There haven’t been any insider transactions in the last three months — that doesn’t mean much. Our analysis of Coca-Cola HBC insider transactions leaves us cautious. But it’s good to see that insiders own shares in the company. 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. Case in point: We’ve spotted 3 warning signs for Coca-Cola HBC you should be aware of.
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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