From what we can see, insiders were net buyers in Schaffer Corporation Limited's (ASX:SFC ) during the past 12 months. That is, insiders acquired the stock in greater numbers than they sold it.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

Check out our latest analysis for Schaffer

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Schaffer

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Chairman & MD John Schaffer bought AU$81k worth of shares at a price of AU$18.06 per share. That implies that an insider found the current price of AU$19.70 per share to be enticing. 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. While we always like to see insider buying, it's less meaningful if the purchases were made at much lower prices, as the opportunity they saw may have passed. The good news for Schaffer share holders is that an insider was buying at near the current price. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was John Schaffer.

John Schaffer bought 5.42k shares over the last 12 months at an average price of AU$18.05. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

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).

Insider Ownership

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Schaffer insiders own about AU$141m worth of shares (which is 53% of the company). I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Schaffer Insiders?

The fact that there have been no Schaffer insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Judging from their transactions, and high insider ownership, Schaffer insiders feel good about the company's 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. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Schaffer (of which 1 is significant!) you should know about.