Some Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) shareholders may be a little concerned to see that the Director, Paul Stecko, recently sold a substantial US$1.5m worth of stock at a price of US$154 per share. That sale reduced their total holding by 34% which is hardly insignificant, but far from the worst we've seen.

View our latest analysis for Packaging Corporation of America

Packaging Corporation of America Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the Executive Vice President of Corrugated Products, Thomas Hassfurther, for US$4.0m worth of shares, at about US$149 per share. That means that even when the share price was below the current price of US$155, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. As a general rule we consider it to be discouraging when insiders are selling below the current price, because it suggests they were happy with a lower 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 8.3% of Thomas Hassfurther's holding.

In the last year Packaging Corporation of America insiders didn't buy any company stock. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Does Packaging Corporation of America 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. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Packaging Corporation of America insiders own about US$238m worth of shares (which is 1.7% of the company). 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 Does This Data Suggest About Packaging Corporation of America Insiders?

Insiders sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. 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 while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. For example - Packaging Corporation of America has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

Of course Packaging Corporation of America 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 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.