Have Insiders Sold Chesapeake Utilities Shares Recently?

We wouldn't blame Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE:CPK) shareholders if they were a little worried about the fact that Beth Cooper, the Executive VP recently netted about US$661k selling shares at an average price of US$132. However, it's crucial to note that they remain very much invested in the stock and that sale only reduced their holding by 6.2%.

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Chesapeake Utilities Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent sale by Beth Cooper was the biggest sale of Chesapeake Utilities shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That means that an insider was selling shares at below the current price (US$135). When an insider sells below the current price, it suggests that they considered that lower price to be fair. That makes us wonder what they think of the (higher) recent 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 6.2% of Beth Cooper's holding.

The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

View our latest analysis for Chesapeake Utilities

I will like Chesapeake Utilities 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 Chesapeake Utilities Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It appears that Chesapeake Utilities insiders own 1.9% of the company, worth about US$59m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Chesapeake Utilities Tell Us?

An insider sold Chesapeake Utilities shares recently, but they didn't buy any. Looking to the last twelve months, our data doesn't show any insider buying. On the plus side, Chesapeake Utilities makes money, and is growing profits. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. We're in no rush to buy! In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Chesapeake Utilities. When we did our research, we found 3 warning signs for Chesapeake Utilities (1 is a bit unpleasant!) that we believe deserve your full attention.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity 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 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.