Have Insiders Sold MS INTERNATIONAL Shares Recently?

Some MS INTERNATIONAL plc (LON:MSI) shareholders may be a little concerned to see that the Group Finance Director & Executive Director, Michael O'Connell, recently sold a substantial UK£1.5m worth of stock at a price of UK£10.20 per share. That's a big disposal, and it decreased their holding size by 13%, which is notable but not too bad.

See our latest analysis for MS INTERNATIONAL

MS INTERNATIONAL Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent sale by Michael O'Connell is the biggest insider sale of MS INTERNATIONAL shares that we've seen in the last year. That means that an insider was selling shares at around the current price of UK£9.95. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. 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.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid UK£165k for 17.22k shares. But insiders sold 166.45k shares worth UK£1.7m. Over the last year we saw more insider selling of MS INTERNATIONAL shares, than buying. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: Most of them are flying under the radar).

Does MS INTERNATIONAL Boast High Insider Ownership?

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. MS INTERNATIONAL insiders own about UK£86m worth of shares (which is 54% of the company). Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At MS INTERNATIONAL Tell Us?

An insider sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. And our longer term analysis of insider transactions didn't bring confidence, either. On the plus side, MS INTERNATIONAL makes money, and is growing profits. The company boasts high insider ownership, but we're a little hesitant, given the history of share sales. 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 MS INTERNATIONAL (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that we believe deserve your full attention.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity 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.