This Insider Has Just Sold Shares In Rayonier Inc. (NYSE:RYN)

We'd be surprised if Rayonier Inc. (NYSE:RYN) shareholders haven't noticed that the Senior Vice President of Forest Resources, Douglas Long, recently sold US$172k worth of stock at US$34.31 per share. The eyebrow raising move amounted to a reduction of 10% in their holding.

View our latest analysis for Rayonier

Rayonier Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the President, David Nunes, sold US$229k worth of shares at a price of US$30.50 per share. That means that an insider was selling shares at slightly below the current price (US$35.09). As a general rule we consider it to be discouraging when insiders are selling below the current price, because it suggests they were happy with a lower valuation. Please do note, however, that sellers may have a variety of reasons for selling, so we don't know for sure what they think of the stock price. We note that the biggest single sale was only 2.3% of David Nunes's holding. Notably David Nunes was also the biggest buyer, having purchased US$260k worth of shares.

In the last twelve months insiders purchased 10.52k shares for US$260k. But insiders sold 24.50k shares worth US$732k. In total, Rayonier insiders sold more than they bought over the last year. 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!

I will like Rayonier better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Insider Ownership of Rayonier

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Rayonier insiders own about US$29m worth of shares. That equates to 0.6% of the company. 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 Does This Data Suggest About Rayonier Insiders?

Insiders sold Rayonier shares recently, but they didn't buy any. And our longer term analysis of insider transactions didn't bring confidence, either. While insiders do own shares, they don't own a heap, and they have been selling. We're in no rush to buy! 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. To help with this, we've discovered 6 warning signs (1 is a bit concerning!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in Rayonier.

But note: Rayonier 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. 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.
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