Have Britvic Insiders Been Selling Stock?

We'd be surprised if Britvic plc (LON:BVIC) shareholders haven't noticed that the CEO & Executive Director, Simon Litherland, recently sold UK£363k worth of stock at UK£8.86 per share. On the bright side, that sale was only 8.5% of their holding, so we doubt it's very meaningful, on its own.

View our latest analysis for Britvic

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Britvic

Notably, that recent sale by Simon Litherland is the biggest insider sale of Britvic shares that we've seen in the last year. That means that an insider was selling shares at below the current price (UK£8.96). 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. This single sale was just 8.5% of Simon Litherland's stake.

You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Does Britvic Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Insiders own 0.3% of Britvic shares, worth about UK£6.5m, according to our data. We do generally prefer see higher levels of insider ownership.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Britvic Insiders?

An insider sold Britvic shares recently, but they didn't buy any. And our longer term analysis of insider transactions didn't bring confidence, either. When you consider that most companies have higher levels of insider ownership, we're a little wary. So we're not rushing to buy, to say the least. 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. While conducting our analysis, we found that Britvic has 3 warning signs and it would be unwise to ignore them.

But note: Britvic 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.