Stock Analysis

Genus Insiders Sell UK£653k Of Stock, Possibly Signalling Caution \

LSE:GNS
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A number of Genus plc (LON:GNS) insiders sold their shares in the last year, which may have raised concerns among investors. Knowing whether insiders are buying is usually more helpful when evaluating insider transactions, as insider selling can have various explanations. However, when multiple insiders sell stock over a specific duration, shareholders should take notice as that could possibly be a red flag.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

See our latest analysis for Genus

Genus Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the CEO & Executive Director, Stephen Wilson, for UK£347k worth of shares, at about UK£29.21 per share. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. It's of some comfort that this sale was conducted at a price well above the current share price, which is UK£24.58. So it may not shed much light on insider confidence at current levels.

Insiders in Genus didn't buy any shares in the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

insider-trading-volume
LSE:GNS Insider Trading Volume June 8th 2023

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Does Genus Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Our data indicates that Genus insiders own about UK£5.1m worth of shares (which is 0.3% of the company). We do generally prefer see higher levels of insider ownership.

So What Do The Genus Insider Transactions Indicate?

The fact that there have been no Genus insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. The insider transactions at Genus are not inspiring us to buy. We also note that, as far as we can see, insider ownership is fairly low, compared to other companies. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Genus. You'd be interested to know, that we found 1 warning sign for Genus and we suggest you have a look.

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, but not derivative transactions.

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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.