Orion Group Holdings Insiders Who Sold Avert US$34m Market Cap Dip

Over the past year, insiders sold US$649k worth of Orion Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:ORN) stock at an average price of US$6.49 per share allowing them to get the most out of their money. The company’s market cap plunged by US$34m after price dropped by 11% last week but insiders were able to limit their loss to an extent.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

Check out our latest analysis for Orion Group Holdings

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Orion Group Holdings

Notably, that recent sale by Austin Shanfelter is the biggest insider sale of Orion Group Holdings shares that we've seen in the last year. So what is clear is that an insider saw fit to sell at around the current price of US$8.58. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold 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 57.57k shares worth US$347k. But insiders sold 100.00k shares worth US$649k. Austin Shanfelter ditched 100.00k shares over the year. The average price per share was US$6.49. 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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Insiders At Orion Group Holdings Have Sold Stock Recently

There was substantially more insider selling, than buying, of Orion Group Holdings shares over the last three months. In total, Independent Chairman Austin Shanfelter sold US$360k worth of shares in that time. Meanwhile insiders bought US$250k worth. Generally this level of net selling might be considered a bit bearish.

Does Orion Group 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. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It appears that Orion Group Holdings insiders own 11% of the company, worth about US$30m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Orion Group Holdings Tell Us?

The insider sales have outweighed the insider buying, at Orion Group Holdings, in the last three months. And our longer term analysis of insider transactions didn't bring confidence, either. Insider ownership isn't particularly high, so this analysis makes us cautious about the company. So we'd only buy after careful consideration. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. At Simply Wall St, we've found that Orion Group Holdings has 4 warning signs (1 is potentially serious!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.

Of course Orion Group 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.