From what we can see, insiders were net buyers in Chewy, Inc.'s (NYSE:CHWY ) during the past 12 months. That is, insiders acquired the stock in greater numbers than they sold it.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

See our latest analysis for Chewy

Chewy Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Independent Director James Star bought US$301k worth of shares at a price of US$19.60 per share. Although we like to see insider buying, we note that this large purchase was at significantly below the recent price of US$27.12. Because the shares were purchased at a lower price, this particular buy doesn't tell us much about how insiders feel about the current share price.

James Star bought a total of 27.60k shares over the year at an average price of US$19.95. 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!

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. If investing in lesser known companies is your style, you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Does Chewy Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It appears that Chewy insiders own 0.7% of the company, worth about US$79m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Chewy Insiders?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Insiders own shares in Chewy and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about 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. For example - Chewy has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

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.