Investors who take an interest in Alliance Aviation Services Limited (ASX:AQZ) should definitely note that the MD & Executive Director, Scott McMillan, recently paid AU$2.59 per share to buy AU$182k worth of the stock. While that's a very decent purchase to our minds, it was proportionally a bit modest, boosting their holding by just 1.8%.
Check out our latest analysis for Alliance Aviation Services
Notably, that recent purchase by Scott McMillan is the biggest insider purchase of Alliance Aviation Services shares that we've seen in the last year. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of AU$2.54. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price.
In the last twelve months Alliance Aviation Services insiders were buying shares, but not selling. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!
There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of undervalued small cap companies that insiders are buying.
For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It appears that Alliance Aviation Services insiders own 7.0% of the company, worth about AU$28m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.
It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. Insiders likely see value in Alliance Aviation Services shares, given these transactions (along with notable insider ownership of the company). While it's good to be aware of what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. At Simply Wall St, we found 2 warning signs for Alliance Aviation Services that deserve your attention before buying any shares.
But note: Alliance Aviation Services 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.
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.
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