Have Insiders Been Buying Daseke, Inc. (NASDAQ:DSKE) Shares?
We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So before you buy or sell Daseke, Inc. (NASDAQ:DSKE), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.
What Is Insider Selling?
It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.
We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year'.
View our latest analysis for Daseke
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Daseke
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Independent Director Jonathan Shepko for US$167k worth of shares, at about US$1.54 per share. We do like to see buying, but this purchase was made at well below the current price of US$5.58. Because it occurred at a lower valuation, it doesn't tell us much about whether insiders might find today's price attractive.
In the last twelve months Daseke insiders were buying shares, but not selling. Their average price was about US$1.80. To my mind it is good that insiders have invested their own money in the company. However, we do note that they were buying at significantly lower prices than today's share price. 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!
Daseke is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.
Insiders at Daseke Have Bought Stock Recently
It's good to see that Daseke insiders have made notable investments in the company's shares. In total, insiders bought US$361k worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any sales whatsoever. This is a positive in our book as it implies some confidence.
Insider Ownership of Daseke
Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Insiders own 5.2% of Daseke shares, worth about US$19m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.
So What Does This Data Suggest About Daseke Insiders?
It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. However, we note that the company didn't make a profit over the last twelve months, which makes us cautious. Insiders likely see value in Daseke shares, given these transactions (along with notable insider ownership of the company). In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Daseke. While conducting our analysis, we found that Daseke has 2 warning signs and it would be unwise to ignore these.
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, but not derivative transactions.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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