Stella-Jones Insider Lowered Holding By 53% During Last Year

Looking at Stella-Jones Inc.'s (TSE:SJ ) insider transactions over the last year, we can see that insiders were net sellers. That is, there were more number of shares sold by insiders than there were purchased.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Stella-Jones

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Independent Director, James Manzi, sold CA$464k worth of shares at a price of CA$92.79 per share. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. The good news is that this large sale was at well above current price of CA$68.51. So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price. The only individual insider seller over the last year was James Manzi.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid CA$1.1m for 15.17k shares. On the other hand they divested 15.00k shares, for CA$1.3m. James Manzi sold a total of 15.00k shares over the year at an average price of CA$85.81. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

View our latest analysis for Stella-Jones

For those who like to find hidden gems this free list of small cap companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insider Ownership

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. From our data, it seems that Stella-Jones insiders own 0.2% of the company, worth about CA$8.3m. We do generally prefer see higher levels of insider ownership.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Stella-Jones Insiders?

It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Stella-Jones shares in the last quarter. We don't take much encouragement from the transactions by Stella-Jones insiders. And usually insiders own more stock in the company, according to our data. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Stella-Jones. At Simply Wall St, we found 1 warning sign for Stella-Jones that deserve your attention before buying any shares.

But note: Stella-Jones may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

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.