Yahoo Finance Possible Bearish Signals With ConocoPhillips Insiders Disposing Stock
The fact that multiple ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) insiders offloaded a considerable amount of shares over the past year could have raised some eyebrows amongst investors. Knowing whether insiders are buying is usually more helpful when evaluating insider transactions, as insider selling can have various explanations. However, shareholders should take a deeper look if several insiders are selling stock over a specific time period.
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 ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
The Director & Advisor, Timothy Leach, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$5.0m worth of shares at a price of US$115 each. That means that even when the share price was below the current price of US$131, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. We generally consider it a negative if insiders have been selling, especially if they did so below the current price, because it implies that they considered a lower price to be reasonable. However, while insider selling is sometimes discouraging, it's only a weak signal. It is worth noting that this sale was only 7.1% of Timothy Leach's holding.
Insiders in ConocoPhillips didn't buy any shares in 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 ConocoPhillips better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.
ConocoPhillips Insiders Are Selling The Stock
Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider selling at ConocoPhillips. Specifically, insiders ditched US$4.1m 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
Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. ConocoPhillips insiders own 0.09% of the company, currently worth about US$133m based on the recent share price. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.
So What Do The ConocoPhillips Insider Transactions Indicate?
Insiders sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. And even if we look at the last year, we didn't see any purchases. The company boasts high insider ownership, but we're a little hesitant, given the history of share sales. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing ConocoPhillips. While conducting our analysis, we found that ConocoPhillips has 2 warning signs and it would be unwise to ignore these.
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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.
