This Bruker Insider Reduced Their Stake By 47%

From what we can see, insiders were net sellers in Bruker Corporation's (NASDAQ:BRKR ) during the past 12 months. That is, insiders sold the stock in greater numbers than they purchased it.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

Check out our latest analysis for Bruker

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Bruker

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the President and CEO of Bruker Energy & Supercon Technologies, Burkhard Prause, for US$822k worth of shares, at about US$83.30 per share. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place at a lower price. It's of some comfort that this sale was conducted at a price well above the current share price, which is US$64.20. So it may not shed much light on insider confidence at current levels. Burkhard Prause was the only individual insider to sell shares in the last twelve months.

The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

For those who like to find hidden gems this free list of small cap companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

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. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It's great to see that Bruker insiders own 32% of the company, worth about US$3.1b. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Bruker Insiders?

It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Bruker shares in the last quarter. While we feel good about high insider ownership of Bruker, we can't say the same about the selling of shares. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Bruker. At Simply Wall St, we've found that Bruker has 2 warning signs (1 is potentially serious!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.

Of course Bruker 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 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.