Quite a few insiders have dramatically grown their holdings in Codan Limited (ASX:CDA) over the past 12 months. An insider's optimism about the company's prospects is a positive sign.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

View our latest analysis for Codan

Codan Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The insider David Uhrig made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for AU$11m worth of shares at a price of AU$5.08 each. Even though the purchase was made at a significantly lower price than the recent price (AU$8.90), we still think insider buying is a positive. Because it occurred at a lower valuation, it doesn't tell us much about whether insiders might find today's price attractive.

While Codan insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

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.

Insiders At Codan Have Bought Stock Recently

Over the last quarter, Codan insiders have spent a meaningful amount on shares. Independent Non-Executive Director Heith MacKay-Cruise spent AU$79k on stock, and there wasn't any selling. This makes one think the business has some good points.

Insider Ownership Of Codan

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Codan insiders own about AU$730m worth of shares (which is 45% 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.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Codan Tell Us?

The recent insider purchase is heartening. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. Along with the high insider ownership, this analysis suggests that insiders are quite bullish about Codan. Nice! Therefore, you should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for Codan.

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 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.