Many Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST) 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, when multiple insiders sell stock over a specific duration, shareholders should take notice as that could possibly be a red flag.
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.
Post Holdings Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
The Executive VP, Diedre Gray, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$763k worth of shares at a price of US$105 each. That means that an insider was selling shares at around the current price of US$104. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. In this case, the big sale took place at around the current price, so it's not too bad (but it's still not a positive).
In total, Post Holdings insiders sold more 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 want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!
I will like Post Holdings better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.
Post Holdings Insiders Are Selling The Stock
Over the last three months, we've seen notably more insider selling, than insider buying, at Post Holdings. In total, insiders sold US$849k worth of shares in that time. On the flip side, Director Thomas Erb spent US$104k on purchasing shares. Because the selling vastly outweighs the buying, we'd say this is a somewhat bearish sign.
Does Post Holdings Boast High Insider Ownership?
Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Post Holdings insiders own 10% of the company, currently worth about US$634m based on the recent share price. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.
So What Do The Post Holdings Insider Transactions Indicate?
The insider sales have outweighed the insider buying, at Post Holdings, in the last three months. Zooming out, the longer term picture doesn't give us much comfort. While insiders do own a lot of shares in the company (which is good), our analysis of their transactions doesn't make us feel confident about the company. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. When we did our research, we found 4 warning signs for Post Holdings (1 is a bit unpleasant!) that we believe deserve your full attention.
But note: Post Holdings 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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