Some The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (NYSE:GBX) shareholders may be a little concerned to see that the Co-Founder & Executive Chairman, William Furman, recently sold a substantial US$4.1m worth of stock at a price of US$32.02 per share. That's a big disposal, and it decreased their holding size by 18%, which is notable but not too bad.

View our latest analysis for Greenbrier Companies

Greenbrier Companies Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent sale by William Furman is the biggest insider sale of Greenbrier Companies shares that we've seen in the last year. That means that an insider was selling shares at around the current price of US$30.23. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. Given that the sale took place at around current prices, it makes us a little cautious but is hardly a major concern.

In the last year Greenbrier Companies insiders didn't buy any company stock. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart 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 Greenbrier Companies Boast High 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. Insiders own 4.1% of Greenbrier Companies shares, worth about US$40m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

So What Do The Greenbrier Companies Insider Transactions Indicate?

An insider sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. But since Greenbrier Companies is profitable and growing, we're not too worried by this. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. We'd practice some caution before buying! In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Greenbrier Companies. Be aware that Greenbrier Companies is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 2 of those are a bit unpleasant...

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting 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.