Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card!
It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in UFP Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:UFPT).
What Is Insider Selling?
Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock on the market. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.
We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. As Peter Lynch said, ‘insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.’
View our latest analysis for UFP Technologies
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At UFP Technologies
The Chairman, R. Bailly, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$743k worth of shares at a price of US$35.50 each. That means that even when the share price was below the current price of US$41.25, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. When an insider sells below the current price, it suggests that they considered that lower price to be fair. That makes us wonder what they think of the (higher) recent valuation. However, while insider selling is sometimes discouraging, it’s only a weak signal. We note that the biggest single sale was only 3.9% of R. Bailly’s holding.
In the last twelve months insiders netted US$4.6m for 129k shares sold. UFP Technologies insiders didn’t buy any shares over the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!
UFP Technologies Insiders Are Selling The Stock
The last three months saw significant insider selling at UFP Technologies. Specifically, R. Bailly ditched US$1.1m worth of shares in that time, and we didn’t record any purchases whatsoever. This may suggest that some insiders think that the shares are not cheap.
Insider Ownership
Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. I reckon it’s a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 9.6% of UFP Technologies shares, worth about US$29m. 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 UFP Technologies Tell Us?
An insider hasn’t bought UFP Technologies stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. Looking to the last twelve months, our data doesn’t show any insider buying. On the plus side, UFP Technologies makes money, and is growing profits. While insiders do own shares, they don’t own a heap, and they have been selling. So we’d only buy after careful consideration. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in UFP Technologies, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
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 aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.