Even if it's not a huge purchase, we think it was good to see that Thomas McKinlay, the Chief Executive Officer of FutureFuel Corp. (NYSE:FF) recently shelled out US$88k to buy stock, at US$4.38 per share. Even though that isn't a massive buy, it did increase their holding by 100%, which is arguably a good sign.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At FutureFuel

In fact, the recent purchase by Thomas McKinlay was the biggest purchase of FutureFuel shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That means that even when the share price was higher than US$4.36 (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. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels.

While FutureFuel insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

FutureFuel 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.

Insider Ownership

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Our data suggests FutureFuel insiders own 0.9% of the company, worth about US$1.7m. However, it's possible that insiders might have an indirect interest through a more complex structure. I generally like to see higher levels of ownership.

What Might The Insider Transactions At FutureFuel Tell Us?

It is good to see recent purchasing. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. While the overall levels of insider ownership are below what we'd like to see, the history of transactions imply that FutureFuel insiders are reasonably well aligned, and optimistic for the future. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for FutureFuel you should be aware of, and 1 of them makes us a bit uncomfortable.

But note: FutureFuel 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.