This Insider Has Just Sold Shares In American Express

Some American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) shareholders may be a little concerned to see that the Chairman & CEO, Stephen Squeri, recently sold a substantial US$16m worth of stock at a price of US$319 per share. That's a big disposal, and it decreased their holding size by 21%, which is notable but not too bad.

View our latest analysis for American Express

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At American Express

Notably, that recent sale by Stephen Squeri is the biggest insider sale of American Express shares that we've seen in the last year. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of US$310. 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).

Insiders in American Express didn't buy any shares in the last year. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

For those who like to find hidden gems this free list of small cap companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insider Ownership Of American Express

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It's great to see that American Express insiders own 0.2% of the company, worth about US$334m. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At American Express Tell Us?

Insiders haven't bought American Express stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. And even if we look at the last year, we didn't see any purchases. But since American Express is profitable and growing, we're not too worried by this. The company boasts high insider ownership, but we're a little hesitant, given the history of share sales. 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. To assist with this, we've discovered 2 warning signs that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of American Express.

Of course American Express 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.