From what we can see, insiders were net sellers in Perrigo Company plc's (NYSE:PRGO ) during the past 12 months. That is, insiders sold the stock in greater numbers than they purchased it.    

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing,  we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

Perrigo Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The insider, Murray Kessler, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$7.1m worth of shares at a price of US$35.75 each.   While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place at a lower price.  The good news is that this large sale was at well above current price of US$30.49.  So it is hard to draw any strong conclusion from it.    Murray Kessler was the only individual insider to sell over the last year.  

In the last twelve months insiders purchased 56.40k shares for US$1.7m.  But they sold 197.65k shares for US$7.1m.   You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below.  By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

NYSE:PRGO Insider Trading Volume April 24th 2024

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Insiders At Perrigo Have Bought Stock Recently  

It's good to see that Perrigo insiders have made notable investments in the company's shares.   Not only was there no selling that we can see, but they collectively bought US$526k worth of shares.   That shows some optimism about the company's future.  

Insider Ownership

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own.  A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests.   It appears that Perrigo insiders own 0.5% of the company, worth about US$21m.  While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.  

So What Does This Data Suggest About Perrigo Insiders?

It is good to see recent purchasing.    On the other hand the transaction history, over the last year, isn't so positive.   We don't take much heart from transactions by Perrigo insiders over the last year. But they own a reasonable amount of the company, and there was some buying recently.  Overall they seem reasonably aligned.      While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision.     To assist with this, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Perrigo.  

But note: Perrigo may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE 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.