Have Ascent Industries Insiders Been Selling Stock?

Anyone interested in Ascent Industries Co. (NASDAQ:ACNT) should probably be aware that the Director, Christopher Hutter, recently divested US$485k worth of shares in the company, at an average price of US$12.12 each. However, the silver lining is that the sale only reduced their total holding by 7.5%, so we're hesitant to read anything much into it, on its own.

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Ascent Industries Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent sale by Christopher Hutter is the biggest insider sale of Ascent Industries 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$12.06. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place at a lower price. Given that the sale took place at around current prices, it makes us a little cautious but is hardly a major concern.

In the last twelve months insiders purchased 39.99k shares for US$435k. But insiders sold 138.02k shares worth US$1.7m. Christopher Hutter ditched 138.02k shares over the year. The average price per share was US$12.30. 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!

Check out our latest analysis for Ascent Industries

I will like Ascent Industries better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of undervalued and small cap stocks with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Insider Ownership

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Ascent Industries insiders own about US$12m worth of shares. That equates to 10% of the company. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Ascent Industries Insiders?

The stark truth for Ascent Industries is that there has been more insider selling than insider buying in the last three months. Despite some insider buying, the longer term picture doesn't make us feel much more positive. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. We're in no rush to buy! In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Ascent Industries. When we did our research, we found 2 warning signs for Ascent Industries (1 is a bit concerning!) that we believe deserve your full attention.

But note: Ascent Industries may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

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.