Should You Be Worried About Insider Transactions At Tutor Perini Corporation (NYSE:TPC)?

We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Tutor Perini Corporation (NYSE:TPC).

What Is Insider Selling?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own company’s stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'.

View our latest analysis for Tutor Perini

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Tutor Perini

Chairman & CEO Ronald Tutor made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$1.4m worth of shares at a price of US$20.32 each. So what is clear is that an insider saw fit to sell at around the current price of US$17.12. They might be selling for a variety of reasons, but it's hard to argue this is a bullish sign. We usually pause to reflect on the potential that a stock has a high valuation, if insiders have been selling at around the current price.

All up, insiders sold more shares in Tutor Perini than they bought, over the last year. The sellers received a price of around US$18.93, on average. It's not particularly great to see insiders were selling shares around current prices. Since insiders sell for many reasons, we wouldn't put too much weight on it. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by 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 alongside management, then you might just love this freelist of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

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. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Tutor Perini insiders own 20% of the company, currently worth about US$176m based on the recent share price. 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 Tutor Perini Tell Us?

The fact that there have been no Tutor Perini insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. It's great to see high levels of insider ownership, but looking back at the last year, we don't gain confidence from the Tutor Perini insiders selling. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in Tutor Perini, you should check out this freereport on analyst forecasts for the company.

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

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