Even if it's not a huge purchase, we think it was good to see that Angela Korch, the Executive VP & CFO of Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) recently shelled out US$30k to buy stock, at US$160 per share. Although the purchase is not a big one, increasing their shareholding by only 6.7%, it can be interpreted as a good sign.

See our latest analysis for Vail Resorts

Vail Resorts Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The Independent Director, John Sorte, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$289k worth of shares at a price of US$173 each. So what is clear is that an insider saw fit to sell at around the current price of US$160. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. We note that this sale took place at around the current price, so it isn't a major concern, though it's hardly a good sign.

All up, insiders sold more shares in Vail Resorts than they bought, over the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

I will like Vail Resorts better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of undervalued and small cap stocks with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Insider Ownership Of Vail Resorts

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Vail Resorts insiders own about US$71m worth of shares. That equates to 1.2% of the company. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Vail Resorts Tell Us?

Insider purchases may have been minimal, in the last three months, but there was no selling at all. Overall the buying isn't worth writing home about. Still, the insider transactions at Vail Resorts in the last 12 months are not very heartening. The modest level of insider ownership is, at least, some comfort. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 2 warning signs with Vail Resorts and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

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 of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.

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