Executive share buying and selling - some actual data

So....contrary to often expressed opinion on other threads, NO shareholders have seriously shown any approval of Larry Diamond's (or Peter Gray's) lack of recent share buying on Hot Copper, but one individual alleges all sorts of Larry loving, etc on Hot Copper - I wouldn't personally even disagree that Larry, LIKE MOST ASX DIRECTORS, is a bit of a leech. But lets get some actual factual data on a decent informed discussion. The vast majority of investors would after all, like our resident serial poster on the subject, like to see some insider buying as a positive signals, in alignment with conventional insider buying financial signalling theory. Lets get some actual FACTUAL DISCUSSION going on this.

We are obviously not going to see any shareholder buying in the short-term with executives and directors rightly in black out periods since 31st December, ahead of the quarterly and half yearly earnings, for those (and there are clearly some) ignorant of this.

You can get free quick accounts of insider trading via the likes of Yahoo Finance and the likes, or paid services, but they are often out of date or inaccurate, otherwise unfortunately its just painful review of official releases and reports - Peter and Larry's last two significant buys in March 2022:


(Yahoo Finance)

There were a load of indirect and direct small vestings in December 2023 of performance rights that our resident obsessive goes on about, without ever actually explaining or quantifying them, or the capital outlays required - look up ZIPAM performance rights if anyone really fancies properly understanding this. These were past shareholder approved awards naturally vesting per their calendar structure some as far back as the 2018 AGM.

Cynthia Scott for example acquired via (more recently shareholder approved) performance rights:


And not to forget leeching Larry:



UNLESS YOU VOTED AGAINST THESE PERFORMANCE RIGHTS IN PAST AGM'S AS SHAREHOLDERS, YOU EFFECTIVELY APPROVED PERFORMANCE RIGHTS IN COLLECTIVE APATHY, BEFORE COMPLAINING TOO LOUDLY AS BEING COLLECTIVELY WRONGED, WHEN THEY VEST.

Ask yourself, did you vote against remuneration at the November 2023 AGM for example????? No? Then maybe stop banging on about it, because the majority of shareholders did in apathy or actuality.

More recently and others actually did directly buy stock, i.e. out of their own money, outside of rights, in on market trades, again contrary to the oft falsely cited opinion that there has been no Director buying - and yes I'd like to have seen Larry and Peter buying despite buying after 2022, but recognise that maybe they simple don't have the liquid assets to do so:

Meridith Scott and Diane Smith-Gander:







Insiders have actually been buying stock, contrary to often expressed opinion, albeit small amounts.

The last share selling by Larry and Peter at $7.11 in 2021 for context and balance, obviously massively dwarves that, but frankly I would have sold a lot more if I'd been them - Larry was worth around $500 million near the stocks high and far less then $20 million on the low (the share composition dynamic). People need to realise Motley Fool and the like multiplying their share holders against the highs does not actually represent their available wealth:




Lets get some decent informed discussion going on ASX executive remuneration. Its far too high generally and arguably in ZIP too. I personally think the majority of retail shareholders are utterly ignorant of how often these executives industry wide are vastly overpaid, both by shareholder incomprehension and apathy, a lack of ASIC/ASX clarity/policy, industry wide shrouding of remuneration via complexity and proxy voting issues. Larry and co. have far too generously awarded themselves with performance awards in the past, which shareholders did not vote against at past AGM's, and now enjoy the benefits of those past awards, whilst the same long-term shareholders lost $$$$$.

Its boring, but if you are going to get angry at remuneration and lack of insider buyer, versus seemingly free awards, you have to understand the capital outlays, and history and structure of the awards, that your fellow shareholders voted through.