Ian Gascoigne Is The MD, Executive Director & Member of Executive Board of St. James's Place plc (LON:STJ) And They Just Sold 36% Of Their Shares

Some St. James's Place plc (LON:STJ) shareholders may be a little concerned to see that the MD, Executive Director & Member of Executive Board, Ian Gascoigne, recently sold a substantial UK£3.2m worth of stock at a price of UK£11.65 per share. That sale reduced their total holding by 36% which is hardly insignificant, but far from the worst we've seen.

Check out our latest analysis for St. James's Place

St. James's Place Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent sale by Ian Gascoigne was the biggest sale of St. James's Place shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That means that an insider was selling shares at slightly below the current price (UK£12.68). We generally consider it a negative if insiders have been selling, especially if they did so below the current price, because it implies that they considered a lower price to be reasonable. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. We note that the biggest single sale was only 36%of Ian Gascoigne's holding.

In the last year St. James's Place insiders didn't buy any company stock. 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 are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Does St. James's Place Boast High 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. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. It appears that St. James's Place insiders own 0.4% of the company, worth about UK£24m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About St. James's Place Insiders?

Insiders haven't bought St. James's Place stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. Looking to the last twelve months, our data doesn't show any insider buying. But since St. James's Place is profitable and growing, we're not too worried by this. While insiders do own shares, they don't own a heap, and they have been selling. We're in no rush to buy! While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. To assist with this, we've discovered 2 warning signs that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of St. James's Place.

Of course St. James's Place may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies.

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, but not derivative transactions.

If you decide to trade St. James's Place, use the lowest-cost* platform that is rated #1 Overall by Barron’s, Interactive Brokers. Trade stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds and funds on 135 markets, all from a single integrated account. Promoted

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.
^*Interactive Brokers Rated Lowest Cost Broker by StockBrokers.com Annual Online Review 2020

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.