Many Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS) insiders ditched their stock over the past year, which may be of interest to the company's shareholders. When analyzing insider transactions, it is usually more valuable to know whether insiders are buying versus knowing if they are selling, as the latter sends an ambiguous message. However, shareholders should take a deeper look if several insiders are selling stock over a specific time period.

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.

Maximus Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The President, Bruce Caswell, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$1.6m worth of shares at a price of US$74.68 each. That means that an insider was selling shares at slightly below the current price (US$85.79). 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. However, while insider selling is sometimes discouraging, it's only a weak signal. This single sale was just 8.3% of Bruce Caswell's stake. Notably Bruce Caswell was also the biggest buyer, having purchased US$267k worth of shares.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$267k for 3.36k shares. But they sold 55.13k shares for US$4.3m. In total, Maximus insiders sold more than they bought over the last year. 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!

I will like Maximus better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of undervalued and small cap stocks with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Are Maximus Insiders Buying Or Selling?

We've only seen a tiny insider purchase valued at US$4.7k, in the last three months. Looking at the net result, we don't think these recent trades shed much light on how insiders, as a group, are feeling about the company's prospects.

Insider Ownership Of Maximus

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. It appears that Maximus insiders own 1.1% of the company, worth about US$58m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Maximus Tell Us?

Insider purchases may have been minimal, in the last three months, but there was no selling at all. The net investment is not enough to encourage us much. Our analysis of Maximus insider transactions leaves us cautious. But it's good to see that insiders own shares in the company. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Maximus. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Maximus you should be aware of.

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 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.