Over the last year, a good number of insiders have significantly increased their holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT). This is encouraging because it indicates that insiders are more optimistic about the company's prospects.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

View our latest analysis for Blackstone Mortgage Trust

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Blackstone Mortgage Trust

The Chairman of the Board Timothy Johnson made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$998k worth of shares at a price of US$17.50 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is US$17.93. Of course they may have changed their mind. But this suggests they are optimistic. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. Happily, the Blackstone Mortgage Trust insiders decided to buy shares at close to current prices.

In the last twelve months Blackstone Mortgage Trust 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!

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

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. 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 Blackstone Mortgage Trust insiders own 0.9% of the company, worth about US$29m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Blackstone Mortgage Trust Tell Us?

The fact that there have been no Blackstone Mortgage Trust insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Overall we don't see anything to make us think Blackstone Mortgage Trust insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. 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. Our analysis shows 3 warning signs for Blackstone Mortgage Trust (2 are concerning!) and we strongly recommend you look at them before investing.

But note: Blackstone Mortgage Trust 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.