The Independent Chairman of the Board of Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE:ELAN), Roy Hoover, Just Bought 5.7% More Shares

Investors who take an interest in Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE:ELAN) should definitely note that the Independent Chairman of the Board, Roy Hoover, recently paid US$11.13 per share to buy US$111k worth of the stock. While that’s a very decent purchase to our minds, it was proportionally a bit modest, boosting their holding by just 5.7%.

Check out our latest analysis for Elanco Animal Health

Elanco Animal Health Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by President Jeffrey Simmons for US$436k worth of shares, at about US$14.54 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher than US$9.57 (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. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels.

Elanco Animal Health insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn’t sell any. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

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.

Insider Ownership Of Elanco Animal Health

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. It appears that Elanco Animal Health insiders own 0.5% of the company, worth about US$22m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Elanco Animal Health Tell Us?

It is good to see the recent insider purchase. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. But on the other hand, the company made a loss during the last year, which makes us a little cautious. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest Elanco Animal Health insiders are well aligned, and that they may think the share price is too low. While we like knowing what’s going on with the insider’s ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. In terms of investment risks, we’ve identified 1 warning sign with Elanco Animal Health and understanding this should be part of your investment process.

Of course Elanco Animal Health 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.

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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.