Director share purchases a handy hint By Katherine Jimenez The Australian August 12, 2009 12:00am
An estimated 80 per cent of company director share trade investments turn out to be profitable, according to Keith Nielsen, the managing director of The Inside Trader, a firm that tracks directors' trading activity.
Director share trades are closely followed by some investors who believe they are perhaps the best guide on when to buy a company's shares.
But the Federal Government earlier this month proposed a crackdown on when directors can buy and sell shares that may make that strategy tougher to follow, The Australian reports.
The Government is concerned some directors are still trading during blackout periods prior to financial results being released and may be privy to price-sensitive information.
Matt of Perth Nevertheless, Nielsen believes director share trading is a useful tool for retail investors.
"If directors are putting out money from their own pocket, then there is a good chance the share price will rise," he says.
The best clues, he adds, are on market trades, which indicate directors are using their own money to purchase the stock rather than transferring options.
"The bottom line is that they are just like you and no one will spend their own money if they are going to lose money, that's just basic human emotion," Nielsen says.
In 2007, his firm undertook a detailed study of more than 6800 director share traders in the four years to September 2007.
It found that by following directors trading in their own shares, punters could have increased their trading success.
On average, the report says directors had outperformed the general market by a factor of two (doubled share market returns) with an average one year gain of 51 per cent. During this same period, the All Ords Index rose by about 25 per cent a year.
However, some industry commentators recommend caution and say while directors' share trading is a good indicator, it shouldn't be the main or only reason for buying shares.
Australian Shareholders Association chief executive Stuart Wilson says: "It's important to note what directors are doing with their shares."
He says directors' share trading "may be a useful indicator" for investors but "it shouldn't be the sole reason for your investment decision".
Fat Prophets analyst Colin Whitehead agrees: "It's important to remember that various transactions often occur for reasons beyond simply those views of the company, particularly when sale transactions are going through.
"It may be simply to fund the house purchase ... or it may be motivations beyond a negative or positive view on the company."
Read the full story in The Australian.
EVG Price at posting:
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