Independent Director Patrick Auletta Sold A Bunch Of Shares In Park-Ohio Holdings

Anyone interested in Park-Ohio Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ:PKOH) should probably be aware that the Independent Director, Patrick Auletta, recently divested US$308k worth of shares in the company, at an average price of US$31.43 each. That sale was 45% of their holding, so it does make us raise an eyebrow.

Check out our latest analysis for Park-Ohio Holdings

Park-Ohio Holdings Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The Director Edward Crawford made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$377k worth of shares at a price of US$26.08 each. Even though the purchase was made at a significantly lower price than the recent price (US$31.32), we still think insider buying is a positive. Because it occurred at a lower valuation, it doesn't tell us much about whether insiders might find today's price attractive.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$760k for 30.88k shares. But insiders sold 45.15k shares worth US$1.2m. In total, Park-Ohio Holdings insiders sold more than they bought over the last year. 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 like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: Most of them are flying under the radar).

Does Park-Ohio Holdings Boast High Insider Ownership?

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It's great to see that Park-Ohio Holdings insiders own 33% of the company, worth about US$138m. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Park-Ohio Holdings Tell Us?

An insider sold Park-Ohio Holdings shares recently, but they didn't buy any. Despite some insider buying, the longer term picture doesn't make us feel much more positive. But since Park-Ohio Holdings is profitable and growing, we're not too worried by this. While insiders do own a lot of shares in the company (which is good), our analysis of their transactions doesn't make us feel confident about the company. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Park-Ohio Holdings (including 1 which is a bit unpleasant).

Of course Park-Ohio Holdings 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.