This Insider Has Just Sold Shares In Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

We note that the Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH) Chief Commercial Officer, Scott Habig, recently sold US$97k worth of stock for US$5.31 per share. It might not be a huge sale, but it did reduce their holding size 15%, hardly encouraging.

See our latest analysis for Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the President, Peter Greenleaf, for US$711k worth of shares, at about US$5.60 per share. So what is clear is that an insider saw fit to sell at around the current price of US$5.46. 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 year Aurinia Pharmaceuticals insiders didn't buy any company stock. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: Most of them are flying under the radar).

Does Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Boast High Insider Ownership?

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 1.5% of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals shares, worth about US$12m. 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 Do The Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Insider Transactions Indicate?

Insiders sold Aurinia Pharmaceuticals shares recently, but they didn't buy any. Looking to the last twelve months, our data doesn't show any insider buying. While insiders do own shares, they don't own a heap, and they have been selling. We're in no rush to buy! So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. To assist with this, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals.

But note: Aurinia Pharmaceuticals 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.