Yahoo Finance Insiders who sold Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) earlier this year probably made the right call as market cap dropped by US$7.3b
Insiders seem to have made the most of their holdings by selling US$275k worth of Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) stock at an average sell price of US$387 during the past year. After the stock price dropped 4.2% last week, the company's market value declined by US$7.3b, but insiders were able to mitigate their losses.
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.
Check out our latest analysis for Accenture
Accenture Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the Independent Director, Paula Price, for US$275k worth of shares, at about US$387 per share. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. It's of some comfort that this sale was conducted at a price well above the current share price, which is US$262. So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price. The only individual insider seller over the last year was Paula Price.
You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart 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).
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. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It's great to see that Accenture insiders own 0.08% of the company, worth about US$131m. 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 Does This Data Suggest About Accenture Insiders?
The fact that there have been no Accenture insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. It's great to see high levels of insider ownership, but looking back over the last year, we don't gain confidence from the Accenture insiders selling. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in Accenture, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
But note: Accenture 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, but not derivative transactions.
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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.
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