Samuel Valenti Is The Independent Chairman of the Board of TriMas Corporation (NASDAQ:TRS) And They Just Sold 26% Of Their Shares

We'd be surprised if TriMas Corporation (NASDAQ:TRS) shareholders haven't noticed that the Independent Chairman of the Board, Samuel Valenti, recently sold US$119k worth of stock at US$29.68 per share. The eyebrow raising move amounted to a reduction of 26% in their holding.

Check out our latest analysis for TriMas

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At TriMas

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Independent Director Teresa Finley bought US$250k worth of shares at a price of US$26.86 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is US$29.36. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. Happily, the TriMas insiders decided to buy shares at close to current prices.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$464k for 18.70k shares. But insiders sold 12.35k shares worth US$362k. Overall, TriMas insiders were net buyers during the last year. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

TriMas is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Insider Ownership

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 1.4% of TriMas shares, worth about US$17m. 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 TriMas Tell Us?

Unfortunately, there has been more insider selling of TriMas stock, than buying, in the last three months. In contrast, they appear keener if you look at the last twelve months. It's good to see insiders are shareholders. So we're not overly bothered by recent selling. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. At Simply Wall St, we've found that TriMas has 2 warning signs (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity 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, 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.