Don't Ignore The Insider Selling In Artisan Partners Asset Management

We'd be surprised if Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM) shareholders haven't noticed that the Executive VP & COO, Samuel Sellers, recently sold US$301k worth of stock at US$44.24 per share. That sale was 14% of their holding, so it does make us raise an eyebrow.

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Artisan Partners Asset Management Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent sale by Samuel Sellers was the biggest sale of Artisan Partners Asset Management shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. So what is clear is that an insider saw fit to sell at around the current price of US$43.53. 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).

In the last year Artisan Partners Asset Management insiders didn't buy any company stock. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

View our latest analysis for Artisan Partners Asset Management

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Insider Ownership

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Artisan Partners Asset Management insiders own about US$75m worth of shares. That equates to 2.1% 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 Artisan Partners Asset Management Tell Us?

Insiders sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. Looking to the last twelve months, our data doesn't show any insider buying. But it is good to see that Artisan Partners Asset Management is growing earnings. 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 Artisan Partners Asset Management. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Artisan Partners Asset Management (1 can't be ignored) you should be aware of.

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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.