Those following along with Maravai LifeSciences Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVI) will no doubt be intrigued by the recent purchase of shares by Carl Hull, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of the company, who spent a stonking US$987k on stock at an average price of US$5.64. That increased their holding by a full 174%, which arguably implies the sort of confidence required for a shy sweet-natured nerd to ask the most popular kid in the school to go out on a date.

Maravai LifeSciences Holdings Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent purchase by Carl Hull is the biggest insider purchase of Maravai LifeSciences Holdings shares that we've seen in the last year. That means that even when the share price was higher than US$4.42 (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. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price.

Maravai LifeSciences Holdings insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. 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!

Maravai LifeSciences Holdings is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find small cap companies at attractive valuations, this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Does Maravai LifeSciences Holdings Boast High Insider Ownership?

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. Our data indicates that Maravai LifeSciences Holdings insiders own about US$5.4m worth of shares (which is 0.4% of the company). Whilst better than nothing, we're not overly impressed by these holdings.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Maravai LifeSciences Holdings Tell Us?

The recent insider purchases are heartening. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. But we don't feel the same about the fact the company is making losses. While the overall levels of insider ownership are below what we'd like to see, the history of transactions imply that Maravai LifeSciences Holdings insiders are reasonably well aligned, and optimistic for the future. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. You'd be interested to know, that we found 1 warning sign for Maravai LifeSciences Holdings and we suggest you have a look.

But note: Maravai LifeSciences Holdings 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.