Yahoo Finance Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) insiders sold US$106m worth of stock, possibly signalling a downtrend
Over the past year, many Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) insiders sold a significant stake in the company which may have piqued investors' interest. 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, 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, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.
Check out our latest analysis for Salesforce
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Salesforce
The Co-Founder, Marc Benioff, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$53m worth of shares at a price of US$182 each. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place at a lower price. The good news is that this large sale was at well above current price of US$149. So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price.
In the last year Salesforce insiders didn't buy any company stock. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!
I will like Salesforce better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.
Salesforce Insiders Are Selling The Stock
The last three months saw significant insider selling at Salesforce. Specifically, Co-Founder Marc Benioff ditched US$51m worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. Overall this makes us a bit cautious, but it's not the be all and end all.
Insider Ownership Of Salesforce
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. Salesforce insiders own 3.1% of the company, currently worth about US$4.7b 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.
What Might The Insider Transactions At Salesforce Tell Us?
An insider sold Salesforce shares recently, but they didn't buy any. And even if we look at the last year, we didn't see any purchases. It is good to see high insider ownership, but the insider selling leaves us cautious. 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. At Simply Wall St, we found 4 warning signs for Salesforce that deserve your attention before buying any shares.
But note: Salesforce 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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