Cenovus Energy Inc. (TSE:CVE) shareholders (or potential shareholders) will be happy to see that the President, Jonathan McKenzie, recently bought a whopping CA$2.1m worth of stock, at a price of CA$20.77. Not only is that a big swing, but it increased their holding size by 10%, which is definitely great to see.

Check out our latest analysis for Cenovus Energy

Cenovus Energy Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the insider, Joseph Zieglgansberger, for CA$11m worth of shares, at about CA$28.25 per share. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. The good news is that this large sale was at well above current price of CA$19.83. So it is hard to draw any strong conclusion from it. Joseph Zieglgansberger was the only individual insider to sell over the last year.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 553.76k shares worth CA$13m. On the other hand they divested 389.65k shares, for CA$11m. In total, Cenovus Energy insiders bought more than they sold over the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. If investing in lesser known companies is your style, you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Insider Ownership Of Cenovus Energy

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 0.2% of Cenovus Energy shares, worth about CA$80m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Cenovus Energy Insiders?

It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest Cenovus Energy insiders are well aligned, and that they may think the share price is too low. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Cenovus Energy you should be aware of.

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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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.