Selling US$1.2m worth of stock earlier this year was a lucrative decision for Liberty Global plc (NASDAQ:LBTY.A) insiders

Even though Liberty Global plc (NASDAQ:LBTY.A) stock gained 4.0% last week, insiders who sold US$1.2m worth of stock over the past year are probably better off. Selling at an average price of US$23.09, which is higher than the current price, may have been the wisest decision for these insiders as their investment would have been worth less now than when they sold.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

See our latest analysis for Liberty Global

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Liberty Global

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the Executive VP & CFO, Charles H. Bracken, for US$603k worth of shares, at about US$24.14 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 silver lining is that this sell-down took place above the latest price (US$19.51). So it may not shed much light on insider confidence at current levels.

Liberty Global insiders didn't buy any shares 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 click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

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

Does Liberty Global Boast High Insider Ownership?

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. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It's great to see that Liberty Global insiders own 9.0% of the company, worth about US$803m. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.

So What Do The Liberty Global Insider Transactions Indicate?

The fact that there have been no Liberty Global insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. While we feel good about high insider ownership of Liberty Global, we can't say the same about the selling of shares. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Liberty Global. When we did our research, we found 4 warning signs for Liberty Global (2 shouldn't be ignored!) that we believe deserve your full attention.

Of course Liberty Global 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, 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.