Yahoo Finance With Block, Inc.'s (NYSE:SQ)) price down 18% this week, insiders might find some solace having sold US$5.2m worth of shares earlier this year.
By selling US$5.2m worth of Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ) stock at an average sell price of US$73.00 over the last year, insiders seemed to have made the most of their holdings. The company's market worth decreased by US$8.0b over the past week after the stock price dropped 18%, although insiders were able to minimize their losses
While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.
See our latest analysis for Block
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Block
The Chief Executive Officer of Cash App, Brian Grassadonia, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$716k worth of shares at a price of US$142 each. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. The good news is that this large sale was at well above current price of US$60.68. So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price.
Block insiders didn't buy any shares over the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!
I will like Block better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.
Insiders At Block Have Sold Stock Recently
The last three months saw significant insider selling at Block. In total, insiders sold US$1.2m worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. This may suggest that some insiders think that the shares are not cheap.
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. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Block insiders own about US$4.0b worth of shares (which is 11% of the company). Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.
What Might The Insider Transactions At Block Tell Us?
Insiders sold Block shares recently, but they didn't buy any. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. It is good to see high insider ownership, but the insider selling leaves us cautious. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. You'd be interested to know, that we found 2 warning signs for Block and we suggest you have a look.
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, 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.
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