Tidewater Inc. (NYSE:TDW) shareholders (or potential shareholders) will be happy to see that the President, Quintin Kneen, recently bought a whopping US$2.0m worth of stock, at a price of US$48.06. That increased their holding by a full 76%, 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.

Tidewater Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent purchase by President Quintin Kneen was not the only time they traded Tidewater shares this year. Earlier in the year, they sold shares at a price ofUS$106 per share in a -US$39m transaction. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place at a lower price. It's of some comfort that this sale was conducted at a price well above the current share price, which is US$49.42. So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 62.76k shares worth US$3.0m. On the other hand they divested 680.50k shares, for US$71m. All up, insiders sold more shares in Tidewater than they bought, over the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

I will like Tidewater better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of undervalued and small cap stocks with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Does Tidewater Boast High Insider Ownership?

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 1.2% of Tidewater shares, worth about US$32m. 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 Tidewater Insiders?

The recent insider purchases are heartening. On the other hand the transaction history, over the last year, isn't so positive. The more recent transactions are a positive, but Tidewater insiders haven't shown the sustained enthusiasm that we look for, although they do own a decent number of shares, overall. In short they are likely aligned with shareholders. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

But note: Tidewater 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.