Have Insiders Sold Bouvet Shares Recently?

Some Bouvet ASA (OB:BOUV) shareholders may be a little concerned to see that the Independent Director, Egil Dahl, recently sold a substantial kr23m worth of stock at a price of kr75.70 per share. That sale reduced their total holding by 16% which is hardly insignificant, but far from the worst we've seen.

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Bouvet Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent sale by Egil Dahl was the biggest sale of Bouvet shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. So it's clear an insider wanted to take some cash off the table, even below the current price of kr78.70. When an insider sells below the current price, it suggests that they considered that lower price to be fair. That makes us wonder what they think of the (higher) recent valuation. Please do note, however, that sellers may have a variety of reasons for selling, so we don't know for sure what they think of the stock price. We note that the biggest single sale was only 16% of Egil Dahl's holding.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid kr359k for 4.94k shares. But insiders sold 653.27k shares worth kr47m. Over the last year we saw more insider selling of Bouvet shares, than buying. 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 Bouvet

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Does Bouvet Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It appears that Bouvet insiders own 7.5% of the company, worth about kr609m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Bouvet Insiders?

An insider hasn't bought Bouvet stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. And our longer term analysis of insider transactions didn't bring confidence, either. But it is good to see that Bouvet is growing earnings. The company boasts high insider ownership, but we're a little hesitant, given the history of share sales. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. For example - Bouvet has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

Of course Bouvet 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 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.