Randstad N.V. (AMS:RAND) Insiders Have Been Selling
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We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. 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 before you buy or sell Randstad N.V. (AMS:RAND), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.
What Is Insider Selling?
It's quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.
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 Randstad
Randstad Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Member of the Executive Board, François Béharel, sold €376k worth of shares at a price of €46.46 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to take some cash off the table, even below the current price of €48.33. 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. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. We note that the biggest single sale was only 7.8% of François Béharel's holding.
In the last twelve months insiders purchased 7113 shares for €309k. But insiders sold 16206 shares worth €738k. In total, Randstad insiders sold more than they bought over the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!
For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.
Insider Ownership of Randstad
Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Randstad insiders own 32% of the company, currently worth about €2.9b based on the recent share price. 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 Randstad Insiders?
The fact that there have been no Randstad insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. It's heartening that insiders own plenty of stock, but we'd like to see more insider buying, since the last year of Randstad insider transactions don't fill us with confidence. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in Randstad, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
But note: Randstad 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.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
