A number of insiders bought Akzo Nobel N.V. (AMS:AKZA) stock last year, which is great news for shareholders

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 Akzo Nobel N.V. (AMS:AKZA), 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, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

Check out our latest analysis for Akzo Nobel

Akzo Nobel Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by insider Thierry F. Vanlancker for €224k worth of shares, at about €82.90 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of €68.14. It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when insiders have purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price.

In the last twelve months Akzo Nobel insiders were buying shares, but not selling. 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!

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Insider Ownership Of Akzo Nobel

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 0.07% of Akzo Nobel shares, worth about €8.2m, according to our data. We do generally prefer see higher levels of insider ownership.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Akzo Nobel Tell Us?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. We'd like to see bigger individual holdings. However, we don't see anything to make us think Akzo Nobel insiders are doubting the company. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Akzo Nobel. When we did our research, we found 3 warning signs for Akzo Nobel (1 is potentially serious!) that we believe deserve your full attention.

But note: Akzo Nobel 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, but not derivative transactions.

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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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