Insiders who acquired US$151.3k worth of TrueBlue, Inc.'s (NYSE:TBI) stock at an average price of US$5.99 in the past 12 months may be dismayed by the recent 13% price decline. Insiders purchase with the hope of seeing their investments increase in value over time. However, due to recent losses, their initial investment is now only worth US$125.9k, which is not great.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

TrueBlue Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when CEO, President & Director Taryn Owen bought US$76k worth of shares at a price of US$5.94 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher than US$4.99 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when insiders have purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price.

In the last twelve months TrueBlue 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!

TrueBlue 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 TrueBlue 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. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Based on our data, TrueBlue insiders have about 2.6% of the stock, worth approximately US$4.3m. We consider this fairly low insider ownership.

So What Does This Data Suggest About TrueBlue Insiders?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. While we have no worries about the insider transactions, we'd be more comfortable if they owned more TrueBlue stock. Therefore, you should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for TrueBlue.

Of course TrueBlue may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality 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.

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.