Insider Buying: The SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust (TSE:SRU.UN) President of the

SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust (TSE:SRU.UN) shareholders (or potential shareholders) will be happy to see that the President of the Council, Mitchell Goldhar, recently bought a whopping CA$26m worth of stock, at a price of CA$32.25. While that only increased their holding size by 6.3%, it is still a big swing by our standards.

Check out our latest analysis for SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust

SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent purchase by Mitchell Goldhar is the biggest insider purchase of SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust shares that we’ve seen in the last year. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of CA$32.06. It’s very possible they regret the purchase, but it’s more likely they are bullish about the company. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock when an insider has bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price. Mitchell Goldhar was the only individual insider to buy shares in the last twelve months. Notably Mitchell Goldhar was also the biggest seller.

Over the last year we saw more insider selling of SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust shares, than buying. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

TSX:SRU.UN Recent Insider Trading, November 4th 2019

If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Does SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust Boast High Insider Ownership?

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. SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust insiders own 11% of the company, currently worth about CA$600m based on the recent share price. 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 SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust Insiders?

We can’t make any useful conclusions about recent trading, since insider buying and selling has been balanced. It’s heartening that insiders own plenty of stock, but we’d like to see more insider buying, since the last year of SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust insider transactions don’t fill us with confidence. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

Of course SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies.

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.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.