Have Insiders Sold Valeura Energy Shares Recently?

We wouldn't blame Valeura Energy Inc. (TSE:VLE) shareholders if they were a little worried about the fact that Yacine Ben-Meriem, the Chief Financial Officer recently netted about CA$4.9m selling shares at an average price of CA$8.45. That sale reduced their total holding by 14% which is hardly insignificant, but far from the worst we've seen.

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The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Valeura Energy

In fact, the recent sale by Yacine Ben-Meriem was the biggest sale of Valeura Energy shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. So what is clear is that an insider saw fit to sell at around the current price of CA$8.04. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. We note that this sale took place at around the current price, so it isn't a major concern, though it's hardly a good sign.

You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

Check out our latest analysis for Valeura Energy

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Insider Ownership Of Valeura Energy

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Valeura Energy insiders own about CA$59m worth of shares. That equates to 6.9% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Valeura Energy Tell Us?

Unfortunately, there has been more insider selling of Valeura Energy stock, than buying, in the last three months. Zooming out, the longer term picture doesn't give us much comfort. But it is good to see that Valeura Energy is growing earnings. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. We're in no rush to buy! So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. When we did our research, we found 3 warning signs for Valeura Energy (2 don't sit too well with us!) that we believe deserve your full attention.

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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.