As United Therapeutics Corporation's (NASDAQ:UTHR)) market cap dropped by US$1.1b, insiders who sold US$810k worth of stock were able to offset their losses

Over the past year, insiders sold US$810k worth of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) stock at an average price of US$249 per share allowing them to get the most out of their money. The company’s market cap plunged by US$1.1b after price dropped by 9.4% last week but insiders were able to limit their loss to an extent.

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 United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the insider, Judy Olian, for US$285k worth of shares, at about US$282 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. The good news is that this large sale was at well above current price of US$225. So it is hard to draw any strong conclusion from it.

Insiders in United Therapeutics didn't buy any shares in the last year. 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!

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

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. It's great to see that United Therapeutics insiders own 1.6% of the company, worth about US$172m. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At United Therapeutics Tell Us?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. It's heartening that insiders own plenty of stock, but we'd like to see more insider buying, since the last year of United Therapeutics insider transactions don't fill us with confidence. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for United Therapeutics you should know about.

But note: United Therapeutics 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, 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.