Insiders rewarded with a US$617k addition on top of their US$1.2m purchase as Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) hits US$34b
Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) insiders who bought shares over the past year were rewarded handsomely last week. The stock rose 6.7%, resulting in a US$2.1b rise in the company's market capitalisation. Put another way, the original US$1.2m acquisition is now worth US$1.8m.
While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.
See our latest analysis for Albemarle
Albemarle Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Chairman Jerry Masters for US$1m worth of shares, at about US$191 per share. We do like to see buying, but this purchase was made at well below the current price of US$288. While it does suggest insiders consider the stock undervalued at lower prices, this transaction doesn't tell us much about what they think of current prices.
In the last twelve months insiders purchased 6.30k shares for US$1.2m. On the other hand they divested 4.22k shares, for US$1.1m. In total, Albemarle insiders bought more than they sold over the last year. 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).
Insider Ownership Of Albemarle
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. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Albemarle insiders own 0.3% of the company, currently worth about US$114m based on the recent share price. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.
So What Do The Albemarle Insider Transactions Indicate?
There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. With high insider ownership and encouraging transactions, it seems like Albemarle insiders think the business has merit. 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 2 warning signs for Albemarle you should be aware of.
But note: Albemarle 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.
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