Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc.'s (NYSE:MLP) stock rose 19% last week, but insiders who sold US$90k worth of stock over the last year are probably in a more advantageous position. Holding on to stock would have meant their investment would be worth less now than it was at the time of sale. Thus selling at an average price of US$12.84, which is higher than the current price, may have been the best decision.

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 Maui Land & Pineapple Company

Maui Land & Pineapple Company Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the insider, Paulus Subrata, for US$90k worth of shares, at about US$12.84 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to take some cash off the table, even below the current price of US$18.96. When an insider sells below the current price, it suggests that they considered that lower price to be fair. That makes us wonder what they think of the (higher) recent 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 31% of Paulus Subrata's holding. Paulus Subrata was the only individual insider to sell over the last year.

The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Insider Ownership Of Maui Land & Pineapple Company

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. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Maui Land & Pineapple Company insiders own 65% of the company, currently worth about US$242m based on the recent share price. 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 Do The Maui Land & Pineapple Company Insider Transactions Indicate?

The fact that there have been no Maui Land & Pineapple Company insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. It's heartening that insiders own plenty of stock, but we'd like to see more insider buying, since the last year of Maui Land & Pineapple Company insider transactions don't fill us with confidence. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. While conducting our analysis, we found that Maui Land & Pineapple Company has 1 warning sign and it would be unwise to ignore it.

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.

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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.