Whilst it may not be a huge deal, we thought it was good to see that the Ascent Industries Co. (NASDAQ:ACNT) President & CEO, J. Kitchen, recently bought US$96k worth of stock, for US$8.61 per share. While we're hesitant to get too excited about a purchase of that size, we do note it increased their holding by a solid 28%.

See our latest analysis for Ascent Industries

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Ascent Industries

In fact, the recent purchase by J. Kitchen was the biggest purchase of Ascent Industries shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. Although we like to see insider buying, we note that this large purchase was at significantly below the recent price of US$9.75. 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.

Ascent Industries insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

Ascent Industries is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of under-the-radar companies with insider buying.

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. Ascent Industries insiders own about US$17m worth of shares. That equates to 17% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Do The Ascent Industries Insider Transactions Indicate?

The recent insider purchases are heartening. And the longer term insider transactions also give 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 Ascent Industries insiders are well aligned, and that they may think the share price is too low. 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. For example, Ascent Industries has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about.

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.