Potential Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:PDM) shareholders may wish to note that the Independent Director, Jeffrey Swope, recently bought US$500k worth of stock, paying US$11.90 for each share. That's a very solid buy in our book, and increased their holding by a noteworthy 32%.

Check out our latest analysis for Piedmont Office Realty Trust

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Piedmont Office Realty Trust

In fact, the recent purchase by Jeffrey Swope was the biggest purchase of Piedmont Office Realty Trust shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being US$11.89). 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. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$781k for 61.50k shares. But insiders sold 7.63k shares worth US$123k. Overall, Piedmont Office Realty Trust insiders were net buyers during the last year. 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!

Piedmont Office Realty Trust is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

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. Insiders own 1.2% of Piedmont Office Realty Trust shares, worth about US$17m. 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 Do The Piedmont Office Realty Trust Insider Transactions Indicate?

The recent insider purchases are heartening. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. Insiders likely see value in Piedmont Office Realty Trust shares, given these transactions (along with notable insider ownership of the company). In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Piedmont Office Realty Trust. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 4 warning signs for Piedmont Office Realty Trust (of which 2 are concerning!) 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.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.