It is usually uneventful when a single insider buys stock. However, When quite a few insiders buy shares, as it happened in Prelude Therapeutics Incorporated's (NASDAQ:PRLD) case, it's fantastic news for shareholders.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

See our latest analysis for Prelude Therapeutics

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Prelude Therapeutics

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Founder Krishna Vaddi for US$67k worth of shares, at about US$5.63 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being US$5.62). 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. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels.

While Prelude Therapeutics insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. 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).

Does Prelude Therapeutics Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that Prelude Therapeutics insiders own 5.9% of the company, worth about US$17m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Prelude Therapeutics Insiders?

The fact that there have been no Prelude Therapeutics insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Overall we don't see anything to make us think Prelude Therapeutics insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. To help with this, we've discovered 5 warning signs (2 are significant!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in Prelude Therapeutics.