We note that the Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATRA) President, Pascal Touchon, recently sold US$50k worth of stock for US$0.62 per share. It might not be a huge sale, but it did reduce their holding size 12%, hardly encouraging.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Atara Biotherapeutics

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Independent Director Eric Dobmeier bought US$101k worth of shares at a price of US$0.23 per share. Even though the purchase was made at a significantly lower price than the recent price (US$0.69), we still think insider buying is a positive. Because the shares were purchased at a lower price, this particular buy doesn't tell us much about how insiders feel about the current share price.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$195k for 816.83k shares. But they sold 419.84k shares for US$341k. All up, insiders sold more shares in Atara Biotherapeutics than they bought, over the last year. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

For those who like to find hidden gems this free list of small cap companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Does Atara Biotherapeutics Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Our data suggests Atara Biotherapeutics insiders own 1.6% of the company, worth about US$1.3m. I generally like to see higher levels of ownership.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Atara Biotherapeutics Insiders?

Insiders haven't bought Atara Biotherapeutics stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. Despite some insider buying, the longer term picture doesn't make us feel much more positive. Insiders own relatively few shares in the company, and when you consider the sales, we're not particularly excited about the stock. So we'd only buy after very careful consideration. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. When we did our research, we found 6 warning signs for Atara Biotherapeutics (1 is concerning!) that we believe deserve your full attention.

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 of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.