Have Qiagen Insiders Been Selling Stock?

Some Qiagen N.V. (NYSE:QGEN) shareholders may be a little concerned to see that the CFO, MD & Member of Management Board, Roland Sackers, recently sold a substantial US$1.5m worth of stock at a price of US$49.21 per share. However, it's crucial to note that they remain very much invested in the stock and that sale only reduced their holding by 7.4%.

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Qiagen Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent sale by CFO, MD & Member of Management Board Roland Sackers was not their only sale of Qiagen shares this year. Earlier in the year, they fetched US$49.13 per share in a -US$2.5m sale. That means that even when the share price was slightly below the current price of US$49.74, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. We generally consider it a negative if insiders have been selling, especially if they did so below the current price, because it implies that they considered a lower price to be reasonable. However, while insider selling is sometimes discouraging, it's only a weak signal. This single sale was just 10% of Roland Sackers's stake.

In the last year Qiagen insiders didn't buy any company stock. 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!

Check out our latest analysis for Qiagen

I will like Qiagen better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of undervalued and small cap stocks with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Does Qiagen Boast High 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 appears that Qiagen insiders own 0.8% of the company, worth about US$81m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

So What Do The Qiagen Insider Transactions Indicate?

Insiders sold Qiagen shares recently, but they didn't buy any. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. But it is good to see that Qiagen is growing earnings. While insiders do own shares, they don't own a heap, and they have been selling. We'd practice some caution before buying! In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Qiagen. For example - Qiagen has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

Of course Qiagen 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.