How Many Insiders Bought Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (BME:BBVA) 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 Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (BME:BBVA).
What Is Insider Buying?
It’s quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.
We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. 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 Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria
In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Honorary Chairman Francisco González Rodríguez bought €889k worth of shares at a price of €6.93 per share. So it’s clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. We generally consider it a positive if insiders have been buying on market, even above the current price.
Happily, we note that in the last year insiders bought 333.19k shares for a total of €2.3m. Overall, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria insiders were net buyers last year. Their average price was about €6.77. These transactions suggest that insiders have considered the current price of €5.30 attractive. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by 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!
For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.
Does Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Boast High Insider Ownership?
Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria insiders own about €30m worth of shares. That equates to 0.09% of the company. 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 Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Insiders?
The fact that there have been no Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria insider transactions recently certainly doesn’t bother us. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Insiders own shares in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.
But note: Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria 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.
To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.
The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
