Despite a 12% gain in Janco Holdings Limited's (HKG:8035) stock price this week, shareholders shouldn't let up. In spite of the relatively cheap prices, insiders made the decision to sell HK$3.0m worth of stock in the last 12 months. This could be a warning indicator of vulnerabilities in the future.
While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the insider, Chun Sing Chan, for HK$3.0m worth of shares, at about HK$0.05 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to take some cash off the table, even below the current price of HK$0.057. As a general rule we consider it to be discouraging when insiders are selling below the current price, because it suggests they were happy with a lower valuation. However, while insider selling is sometimes discouraging, it's only a weak signal. This single sale was 100% of Chun Sing Chan's stake. The only individual insider seller over the last year was Chun Sing Chan.
You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!
View our latest analysis for Janco Holdings
I will like Janco Holdings 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.
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. Insiders own 29% of Janco Holdings shares, worth about HK$10m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.
The fact that there have been no Janco Holdings insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. Our analysis of Janco Holdings insider transactions leaves us cautious. But it's good to see that insiders own shares in the company. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Janco Holdings you should know about.
If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity 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.