Great news for Crawford & Company (NYSE:CRD.B): Insiders acquired stock in large numbers last year
Usually, when one insider buys stock, it might not be a monumental event. But when multiple insiders are buying like they did in the case of Crawford & Company ( NYSE:CRD.B ), that sends out a positive message to the company's shareholders.
While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.
Check out our latest analysis for Crawford
Crawford Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
The Independent Director Jesse Crawford made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$74k worth of shares at a price of US$7.40 each. That means that even when the share price was higher than US$7.17 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. 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.
While Crawford insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. They paid about US$8.35 on average. This is nice to see since it implies that insiders might see value around current prices. 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 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).
Have Crawford Insiders Traded Recently?
We saw some Crawford insider buying shares in the last three months. CEO & Employee Director Rohit Verma shelled out US$7.1k for shares in that time. It's great to see that insiders are only buying, not selling. However, in this case the amount invested recently is quite small.
Insider Ownership
Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Crawford insiders own 57% of the company. Meaning, total insider ownership amounts to about US$202m. 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 Crawford Insider Transactions Indicate?
Our data shows a little insider buying, but no selling, in the last three months. That said, the purchases were not large. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Judging from their transactions, and high insider ownership, Crawford insiders feel good about the company's future. 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. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Crawford (of which 1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) you should know about.
But note: Crawford may not be the best stock to buy . So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE 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.
