Those following along with Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) will no doubt be intrigued by the recent purchase of shares by Andrew Macdonald, President & COO of the company, who spent a stonking US$5.3m on stock at an average price of US$75.83. Not only is that a big swing, but it increased their holding size by 20%, which is definitely great to see.
Notably, that recent purchase by Andrew Macdonald is the biggest insider purchase of Uber Technologies shares that we've seen in the last year. That means that even when the share price was higher than US$71.08 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing 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.
Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 92.46k shares worth US$6.9m. But insiders sold 5.50k shares worth US$519k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Uber Technologies insiders. 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!
View our latest analysis for Uber Technologies
Uber Technologies is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of under-the-radar companies with insider buying.
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. Uber Technologies insiders own 0.2% of the company, currently worth about US$269m based on the recent share price. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.
The recent insider purchase is heartening. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. Once you factor in the high insider ownership, it certainly seems like insiders are positive about Uber Technologies. Nice! So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. To assist with this, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Uber Technologies.
But note: Uber Technologies 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.