Stock Analysis

Don't Ignore The Insider Selling In Paysign

NasdaqCM:PAYS
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We'd be surprised if Paysign, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYS) shareholders haven't noticed that an insider, Daniel Spence, recently sold US$361k worth of stock at US$3.61 per share. However, the silver lining is that the sale only reduced their total holding by 1.1%, so we're hesitant to read anything much into it, on its own.

View our latest analysis for Paysign

Paysign Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent sale by Daniel Spence was the biggest sale of Paysign shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That means that even when the share price was slightly below the current price of US$3.64, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. 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 1.1% of Daniel Spence's holding.

All up, insiders sold more shares in Paysign than they bought, over the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

insider-trading-volume
NasdaqCM:PAYS Insider Trading Volume October 5th 2024

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 Paysign 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. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Paysign insiders own about US$74m worth of shares. That equates to 39% of the company. 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 Paysign Tell Us?

Insiders sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. Despite some insider buying, the longer term picture doesn't make us feel much more positive. But since Paysign 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. While it's good to be aware of what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Paysign (of which 1 is significant!) you should know about.

Of course Paysign 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.