Insiders who sold The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN) earlier this year probably made the right call as market cap dropped by US$760m

Insiders at The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN) sold US$397k worth of stock at an average price of US$40.72 a share over the past year, making the most of their investment. The company’s market cap plunged by US$760m after price dropped by 25% last week but insiders were able to limit their loss to an extent.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

Check out our latest analysis for Hain Celestial Group

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Hain Celestial Group

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Independent Director, Shervin Korangy, sold US$275k worth of shares at a price of US$40.74 per share. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. The good news is that this large sale was at well above current price of US$25.22. So it is hard to draw any strong conclusion from it.

In the last year Hain Celestial Group insiders didn't buy any company stock. 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!

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Does Hain Celestial Group Boast High Insider Ownership?

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It appears that Hain Celestial Group insiders own 1.2% of the company, worth about US$28m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Hain Celestial Group Tell Us?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. Still, the insider transactions at Hain Celestial Group in the last 12 months are not very heartening. But we do like the fact that insiders own a fair chunk of the company. 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. Be aware that Hain Celestial Group is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is concerning...

Of course Hain Celestial Group 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, but not derivative transactions.

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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.