Quite a few Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:NUS) insiders sold their shares over the past year, which may be a cause for concern. Knowing whether insiders are buying is usually more helpful when evaluating insider transactions, as insider selling can have various explanations. However, if numerous insiders are selling, shareholders should investigate more.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

Nu Skin Enterprises Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The Independent Director, Andrew Lipman, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$272k worth of shares at a price of US$17.68 each. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. The silver lining is that this sell-down took place above the latest price (US$13.22). So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price.

Insiders in Nu Skin Enterprises didn't buy any shares in 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!

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).

Nu Skin Enterprises Insiders Are Selling The Stock

Over the last three months, we've seen a bit of insider selling at Nu Skin Enterprises. Independent Director Edwina Woodbury only netted US$20k selling shares, in that period. It's not great to see insider selling, nor the lack of recent buyers. But the volume sold is so low that it really doesn't bother us.

Insider Ownership Of Nu Skin Enterprises

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 1.5% of Nu Skin Enterprises shares, worth about US$9.9m, according to our data. Whilst better than nothing, we're not overly impressed by these holdings.

So What Do The Nu Skin Enterprises Insider Transactions Indicate?

Our data shows a little more insider selling, but no insider buying, in the last three months. However, the sales are not big enough to concern us at all. We're a little cautious about the insider selling at Nu Skin Enterprises. We also note that, as far as we can see, insider ownership is fairly low, compared to other companies. 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. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Nu Skin Enterprises you should be aware of.

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.