Curtiss-Wright Insiders Sell US$8.4m Of Stock, Possibly Signalling Caution

Over the past year, many Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE:CW) insiders sold a significant stake in the company which may have piqued investors' interest. 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 we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

See our latest analysis for Curtiss-Wright

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Curtiss-Wright

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the insider, Sheri Fuller, sold US$3.0m worth of shares at a price of US$281 per share. So what is clear is that an insider saw fit to sell at around the current price of US$275. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place at a lower price. In this case, the big sale took place at around the current price, so it's not too bad (but it's still not a positive).

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 640.00 shares worth US$107k. But they sold 35.05k shares for US$8.4m. Over the last year we saw more insider selling of Curtiss-Wright shares, than buying. 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!

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Curtiss-Wright Insiders Are Selling The Stock

The last quarter saw substantial insider selling of Curtiss-Wright shares. In total, insider Sheri Fuller dumped US$3.0m worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. Overall this makes us a bit cautious, but it's not the be all and end all.

Does Curtiss-Wright 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. Insiders own 0.5% of Curtiss-Wright shares, worth about US$56m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Curtiss-Wright Tell Us?

An insider sold Curtiss-Wright 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 Curtiss-Wright is profitable and growing, we're not too worried by this. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. So we'd only buy after careful consideration. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Curtiss-Wright. To assist with this, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Curtiss-Wright.

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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.

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