Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC) shareholders (or potential shareholders) will be happy to see that the Founder, George Sakellaris, recently bought a whopping US$1.2m worth of stock, at a price of US$9.73. There's no denying a buy of that magnitude suggests conviction in a brighter future, although we do note that proportionally it only increased their holding by 5.8%.

See our latest analysis for Ameresco

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Ameresco

In fact, the recent purchase by George Sakellaris was the biggest purchase of Ameresco shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. Even though the purchase was made at a significantly lower price than the recent price (US$11.09), we still think insider buying is a positive. Because the shares were purchased at a lower price, this particular buy doesn't tell us much about how insiders feel about the current share price.

Ameresco insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. The average buy price was around US$13.11. I'd consider this a positive as it suggests insiders see value at around the current price. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

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

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's great to see that Ameresco insiders own 39% of the company, worth about US$189m. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Ameresco Tell Us?

It is good to see recent purchasing. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest Ameresco insiders are well aligned, and quite possibly think the share price is too low. That's what I like to see! So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Ameresco you should be aware of, and 1 of these can't be ignored.

But note: Ameresco 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.