Those following along with Columbus McKinnon Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCO) will no doubt be intrigued by the recent purchase of shares by David Wilson, President of the company, who spent a stonking US$1.0m on stock at an average price of US$32.02. Aside from being a solid chunk in its own right, the deft move also saw their holding increase by some 40%.

View our latest analysis for Columbus McKinnon

Columbus McKinnon Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent purchase by David Wilson is the biggest insider purchase of Columbus McKinnon shares that we've seen in the last year. Although we like to see insider buying, we note that this large purchase was at significantly below the recent price of US$36.28. Because it occurred at a lower valuation, it doesn't tell us much about whether insiders might find today's price attractive.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 32.82k shares worth US$1.1m. But insiders sold 9.07k shares worth US$349k. In total, Columbus McKinnon 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 want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

Columbus McKinnon is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find small cap companies at attractive valuations, this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insider Ownership Of Columbus McKinnon

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It appears that Columbus McKinnon insiders own 1.6% of the company, worth about US$16m. 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 Columbus McKinnon Insiders?

It is good to see recent purchasing. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. Insiders likely see value in Columbus McKinnon shares, given these transactions (along with notable insider ownership of the company). In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Columbus McKinnon. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Columbus McKinnon you should be aware of, and 1 of them is potentially serious.

Of course Columbus McKinnon may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality 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.