Board Members at Lawson Products Inc. (LAWS) and Largest U.S. Title Insurance Underwriter Discard Sizeable Blocks of Shares, Plus Noteworthy Insider Buying

Board Member of Chipmaker Analog Devices Buys Shares

One member of Analog Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:ADI)’s Board of Directors piled up some shares earlier this month. Board member Bruce R. Evans purchased 15,700 shares on Thursday, of which 700 shares were purchased at a price of $71.34 per share. The remaining 15,000 shares were acquired at prices varying from $73.62 to $73.84 per share. Mr. Evans holds an ownership stake of 26,690 shares after the transactions discussed above.

In late July, Analog Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:ADI) agreed to buy independent manufacturer of high performance linear integrated circuits Linear Technology Corporation (NASDAQ:LLTC) for around $14.8 billion, with the transaction anticipated to be completed by the end of April. Under the terms of the agreement, Linear shareholders are set to receive $46 per share in cash and 0.2321 of a share of Analog Devices at closing. Just recently, analysts at J.P. Morgan raised their price target on Analog Devices to $74 from $70, saying that the expected deal with Linear Technology “should create one of the best business models in the S&P 500.” Moreover, there is greater optimism in reaching revenue synergies, driven by potential new products and cross-selling across geographies and customers. Analog Devices has seen its market value climb by 26% thus far in 2016. Cantillon Capital Management, run by William Von Mueffling, was the owner of 6.99 million shares of Analog Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:ADI) at the end of September.

Insiders at Battered Fluidigm Corporation Purchase Shares

Two insiders at Fluidigm Corporation (NASDAQ:FLDM), including the man in charge of the company, boosted their holdings last week. To start with, President and CEO Stephen Christopher Linthwaite bought 55,000 shares on Wednesday in multiple transactions at prices ranging from $6.17 to $6.49 per share. Mr. Linthwaite currently owns a total of 58,000 shares following the purchase mentioned above. Board member Samuel D. Colella snatched up 20,000 shares on the same day at prices that fell between $6.17 and $6.47 per share, a purchase that lifted his overall holding to 39,123 shares.

Fluidigm Corporation (NASDAQ:FLDM) creates, manufactures, and markets technologies and life-science tools focused on the exploration and analysis of single cells, as well as the industrial application of genomics. The company has lost 38% of its market capitalization since the start of the year, reflecting disappointing revenue trajectory and lower-than-anticipated financial results. As Fluidigm’s revenue has been on a decline as of late, the company plans to implement efficiency and cost reduction initiatives to reduce operating expenses. In mid-October, John A. Levin’s Levin Capital Strategies L.P. filed a 13D filing with the SEC revealing a 25.2%-stake in Fluidigm (i.e. 7.32 million shares). The hedge fund vehicle bought the shares on the premise that they were undervalued and represented an attractive investment opportunity when purchased. Despite disclosing this massive stake, Levin Capital Strategies will remain a passive investor in Fluidigm.

The final page of this article will discuss fresh insider selling witnessed at two other companies.