Don't Ignore The Insider Selling In ScanSource

Anyone interested in ScanSource, Inc. (NASDAQ:SCSC) should probably be aware that the Founder, Michael Baur, recently divested US$398k worth of shares in the company, at an average price of US$39.82 each. On the bright side, that sale was only 7.0% of their holding, so we doubt it's very meaningful, on its own.

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ScanSource Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent sale by Founder Michael Baur was not the only time they sold ScanSource shares this year. They previously made an even bigger sale of -US$1.3m worth of shares at a price of US$39.12 per share. That means that even when the share price was slightly below the current price of US$39.27, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. 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. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. We note that the biggest single sale was only 20% of Michael Baur's holding.

Insiders in ScanSource didn't buy any shares in 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!

See our latest analysis for ScanSource

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Insider Ownership

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It appears that ScanSource insiders own 8.7% of the company, worth about US$77m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At ScanSource Tell Us?

An insider sold ScanSource shares recently, but they didn't buy any. Looking to the last twelve months, our data doesn't show any insider buying. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. So we'd only buy after careful consideration. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for ScanSource you should know about.

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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.