Now is a good time to buy these S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares, or so the companies' directors seem to believe. Three ASX 200 companies have revealed five notable insider buys this month.
Insider buying is often seen as a sign those in the know expect big things from a share. Thus, it can put a stock on the map for other investors.
So, which ASX 200 shares have been snapped up by their directors in December? Let's look at six trades made by five directors across three companies.
5 ASX 200 directors snapping up their company shares
Powering higher
An interesting year for AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL) culminated with four new directors in November, two of whom bought into the company this month.
Kerry Schott bought 12,000 shares in the ASX 200 utilities company for around $8.16 apiece on 9 December – forking out a total of $97,918.80.
That same day, fellow AGL board newbie Christine Holman bought 13,000 shares for $8.09 each – totalling $105,170.
Both buys have proven to be good ones so far. The AGL share price has taken off in 2022, as the chart below shows.
Building market confidence
Sadly, this year hasn't been nearly as good to shares in ASX 200 property and infrastructure group Lendlease Group (ASX: LLC). Its stock has been walloped this year.
But the tumble might have created a buying opportunity for its CEO and managing director Tony Lombardo.
He bought 10,000 shares in the company on 1 December, paying around $7.69 apiece – a total of $76,890.
He backed that up again just six days later, forking out another $40,755 for 5,500 more shares, each priced at $7.41.
ASX 200 directors take a bite of Collins Food shares
Another embattled ASX 200 share that's been the subject of insider buying this month is Collins Food Ltd (ASX: CKF). The company operates various fast-food franchises around Australia and the world.
The first insider buys going down at Collins Food this month was made by director Kevin Perkins. The insider bought 20,000 shares in the ASX 200 company on 2 December, paying $160,141.32 for the parcel, or around $8.01 per share.
The final insider purchase I'll mention was conducted on 21 December.
Then, Bella Kaye – spouse of chair Robert Kaye – forked out $50,181.42 for 7,000 more shares in the company. That represents a purchase price of around $7.17 apiece.
