As Surgical Science Sweden AB (publ)'s (STO:SUS)) market cap dropped by kr1.3b, insiders who sold kr194m worth of stock were able to offset their losses

Insiders at Surgical Science Sweden AB (publ) (STO:SUS) sold kr194m worth of stock at an average price of kr152 a share over the past year, making the most of their investment. The company's market valuation decreased by kr1.3b after the stock price dropped 15% over the past week, but insiders were spared from painful losses.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

Check out our latest analysis for Surgical Science Sweden

Surgical Science Sweden Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Director, Jan Bengtsson, sold kr69m worth of shares at a price of kr152 per share. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. The good news is that this large sale was at well above current price of kr136. So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price.

Surgical Science Sweden insiders didn't buy any shares over the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

I will like Surgical Science Sweden better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

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. Surgical Science Sweden insiders own about kr2.4b worth of shares (which is 34% 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.

So What Do The Surgical Science Sweden Insider Transactions Indicate?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. It's heartening that insiders own plenty of stock, but we'd like to see more insider buying, since the last year of Surgical Science Sweden insider transactions don't fill us with confidence. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting 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.

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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.