One measure of management belief in a company is insider ownership. If they are putting their own money on the line, in addition to their salaries, they must have a strong opinion that they will be successful.
The assumption that comes with high levels of ownership is that management will be working harder to make the company, and its stock, a success. These 3 companies have management that owns over half of the company stock. They are highly incentivized to make these companies successful.
Ambow Education Holding Ltd. (NYSE: AMBO) is a Chinese online and private tutoring service. The company recently did an IPO on the NYSE American Exchange. As of July 2018, Ambow is 85% owned by insiders.
A growing middle class in China, combined with advancing educational tools, such as online education, has fueled growth in earnings this year to over 227%. Yet, the stock still trades at a reasonable price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of just 11.45.
Ambow Education Holding, Ltd. shot to a high of $8 a month ago, but has slowly drifted back to $4.80. With a PEG (price-earnings growth) ratio of only .46, Ambow Education appears to be a bargain at these levels.
EXFO, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXFO) is a Canadian network monitoring and optimization company. As of July 2018, the company is over 61% owned by insiders.
Around 90 of the top 100 communication service providers worldwide use EXFO to some degree. And, EXFO provides solutions for cutting edge technology in fiber optics, the cloud and for 5G.
The company has recently bounced off support levels, just above $3, last seen in late 2016. With a book value of $3.50 a share, right where the stock is trading now, and expected earnings growth next year of 326%, the stock may begin to pick-up investors here.
OncoCyte Corporation (NYSE: OCX) is a cancer test provider that is more than 57% owned by insiders. The company is developing non-invasive liquid biopsy tests for a variety of cancers.
In November of 2017 the company ran into trouble when a study for its lung cancer tests came back with ambiguous results. OncoCyte believed the issue was with a variance in the lots used for testing.
The company announced earlier this year that it was working to resolve the testing issues, and the stock has been stair-stepping higher since April. While this may be a riskier play, if OncoCyte Corporation can resolve the testing issues, investing with the insiders here could pay off in a big way.
Disclaimer: The author and Spotlight Growth has no positions in any of the stocks mentioned in this article. Nor does either party currently have any relationship, or any other conflicts of interest, with any of the companies mentioned in this article. This content is meant for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be meant as a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. Please visit a licensed financial representative to determine what investments are right for you.
Article By: Steven Adams
