Investors who take an interest in Vivani Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:VANI) should definitely note that the Independent Chairman of the Board, Gregg Williams, recently paid US$0.88 per share to buy US$135k worth of the stock. Although the purchase only increased their holding by 1.2%, it is still a solid purchase in our view.

See our latest analysis for Vivani Medical

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Vivani Medical

Notably, that recent purchase by Independent Chairman of the Board Gregg Williams was not the only time they bought Vivani Medical shares this year. They previously made an even bigger purchase of US$1.8m worth of shares at a price of US$1.10 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is US$1.14. 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 Vivani Medical share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price.

In the last twelve months Vivani Medical insiders were buying shares, but not selling. 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. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or 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. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Vivani Medical insiders own about US$21m worth of shares. That equates to 35% of the company. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Vivani Medical Insiders?

It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. However, we note that the company didn't make a profit over the last twelve months, which makes us cautious. Insiders likely see value in Vivani Medical 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 Vivani Medical. For example, Vivani Medical has 5 warning signs (and 3 which are potentially serious) we think you should know about.