Don't Ignore The Insider Selling In Ocular Therapeutix

Anyone interested in Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCUL) should probably be aware that the Executive Chairman, Pravin Dugel, recently divested US$148k worth of shares in the company, at an average price of US$6.87 each. However, the silver lining is that the sale only reduced their total holding by 9.7%, so we're hesitant to read anything much into it, on its own.

View our latest analysis for Ocular Therapeutix

Ocular Therapeutix Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent sale by Executive Chairman Pravin Dugel was not their only sale of Ocular Therapeutix shares this year. They previously made an even bigger sale of -US$188k worth of shares at a price of US$9.02 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$7.14. So it is hard to draw any strong conclusion from it.

Insiders in Ocular Therapeutix didn't buy any shares in the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

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

Does Ocular Therapeutix Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 0.7% of Ocular Therapeutix shares, worth about US$8.1m, according to our data. We do generally prefer see higher levels of insider ownership.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Ocular Therapeutix Tell Us?

Insiders haven't bought Ocular Therapeutix 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. Insiders own relatively few shares in the company, and when you consider the sales, we're not particularly excited about the stock. So we'd only buy after very careful consideration. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. Be aware that Ocular Therapeutix is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those makes us a bit uncomfortable...

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 of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.