MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) shareholders (or potential shareholders) will be happy to see that the President of WBI Energy, Rob Johnson, recently bought a whopping US$924k worth of stock, at a price of US$25.46. That purchase boosted their holding by 137%, which makes us wonder if the move was inspired by quietly confident deeply-felt optimism.

MDU Resources Group Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent purchase by Rob Johnson is the biggest insider purchase of MDU Resources Group shares that we've seen in the last year. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is US$25.52. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. 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 MDU Resources Group share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price.

While MDU Resources Group insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. 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!

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

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. It appears that MDU Resources Group insiders own 1.1% of the company, worth about US$59m. 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 MDU Resources Group Insiders?

It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of MDU Resources Group we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. 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. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for MDU Resources Group you should be aware of, and 1 of these is a bit unpleasant.

But note: MDU Resources Group 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.