Generally, when a single insider buys stock, it is usually not a big deal. However, when several insiders are buying, like in the case of Cascades Inc. (TSE:CAS), it sends a favourable message to the company's shareholders.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

View our latest analysis for Cascades

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Cascades

The Chief of Strategy, Robert Hall, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for CA$295k worth of shares at a price of CA$11.74 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to take some cash off the table, even slightly below the current price of CA$11.82. We generally consider it a negative if insiders have been selling, especially if they did so below the current price, because it implies that they considered a lower price to be reasonable. However, while insider selling is sometimes discouraging, it's only a weak signal. We note that the biggest single sale was only 7.5% of Robert Hall's holding.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 56.41k shares worth CA$441k. But they sold 3.51k shares for CA$37k. Overall, Cascades insiders were net buyers during the last year. 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! insider-trading-volume

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this freelist of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Does Cascades Boast High Insider Ownership?

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Cascades insiders own about CA$299m worth of shares (which is 25% of the company). I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.



So What Does This Data Suggest About Cascades Insiders?

It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Cascades shares in the last quarter. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. It would be great to see more insider buying, but overall it seems like Cascades insiders are reasonably well aligned (owning significant chunk of the company's shares) and optimistic for the future. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Cascades. At Simply Wall St, we found 1 warning sign for Cascades that deserve your attention before buying any shares.

But note: Cascades may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this freelist 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.