Have Guaranty Bancshares Insiders Been Selling Stock?

We'd be surprised if Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:GNTY) shareholders haven't noticed that the Chairman & CEO, Tyson Abston, recently sold US$238k worth of stock at US$34.02 per share. On the bright side, that sale was only 4.8% of their holding, so we doubt it's very meaningful, on its own.

View our latest analysis for Guaranty Bancshares

Guaranty Bancshares Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the insider, Robert Sharp, for US$248k worth of shares, at about US$34.50 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to take some cash off the table, even below the current price of US$36.22. 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. 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. It is worth noting that this sale was only 6.7% of Robert Sharp's holding.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 1.06k shares worth US$31k. But they sold 39.75k shares for US$1.4m. All up, insiders sold more shares in Guaranty Bancshares than they bought, over the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

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Does Guaranty Bancshares Boast High Insider Ownership?

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that Guaranty Bancshares insiders own 21% of the company, worth about US$84m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

So What Do The Guaranty Bancshares Insider Transactions Indicate?

Insiders haven't bought Guaranty Bancshares stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. And our longer term analysis of insider transactions didn't bring confidence, either. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. We're in no rush to buy! In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Guaranty Bancshares. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Guaranty Bancshares you should be aware of.

Of course Guaranty Bancshares 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.