aTyr Pharma Independent Director Acquires 91% More Stock

aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR) shareholders (or potential shareholders) will be happy to see that the Independent Director, Paul Schimmel, recently bought a whopping US$912k worth of stock, at a price of US$0.91. That increased their holding by a full 91%, which arguably implies the sort of confidence required for a shy sweet-natured nerd to ask the most popular kid in the school to go out on a date.

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aTyr Pharma Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent purchase by Paul Schimmel was the biggest purchase of aTyr Pharma shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. So it’s clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is US$1.02. 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. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it’s a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. The good news for aTyr Pharma share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price.

In the last twelve months aTyr Pharma 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. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

Check out our latest analysis for aTyr Pharma

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

Does aTyr Pharma Boast High Insider Ownership?

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. I reckon it’s a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Our data suggests aTyr Pharma insiders own 2.5% of the company, worth about US$2.4m. We consider this fairly low insider ownership.

So What Does This Data Suggest About aTyr Pharma Insiders?

The recent insider purchase is heartening. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. However, we note that the company didn’t make a profit over the last twelve months, which makes us cautious. On this analysis the only slight negative we see is the fairly low (overall) insider ownership; their transactions suggest that they are quite positive on aTyr Pharma stock. 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. To help with this, we’ve discovered 5 warning signs (2 are potentially serious!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in aTyr Pharma.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

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.