Yahoo Finance Are Insiders Selling Safestore Holdings plc (LON:SAFE) Stock?
We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So before you buy or sell Safestore Holdings plc (LON:SAFE), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.
Do Insider Transactions Matter?
Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock on the market. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.
We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.'
View our latest analysis for Safestore Holdings
Safestore Holdings Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the CEO & Director, Frederic Vecchioli, for UK£371k worth of shares, at about UK£6.20 per share. That means that even when the share price was slightly below the current price of UK£6.33, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. We generally consider it a negative if insiders have been selling on market, especially if they did so below the current price, because it implies that they considered a lower price to be reasonable. Please do note, however, that sellers may have a variety of reasons for selling, so we don't know for sure what they think of the stock price. We note that the biggest single sale was only 3.2% of Frederic Vecchioli's holding.
Over the last year we saw more insider selling of Safestore Holdings shares, than buying. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!
If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.
Safestore Holdings Insiders Are Selling The Stock
There was substantially more insider selling, than buying, of Safestore Holdings shares over the last three months. In that time, insiders dumped UK£662k worth of shares. On the flip side, Senior Independent Director Ian Krieger spent UK£60k on purchasing shares (as mentioned above). Generally this level of net selling might be considered a bit bearish.
Insider Ownership of Safestore Holdings
Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Insiders own 1.2% of Safestore Holdings shares, worth about UK£16m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.
So What Do The Safestore Holdings Insider Transactions Indicate?
The stark truth for Safestore Holdings is that there has been more insider selling than insider buying in the last three months. Despite some insider buying, the longer term picture doesn't make us feel much more positive. But since Safestore Holdings is profitable and growing, we're not too worried by this. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. So we'd only buy after careful consideration. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.
Of course Safestore Holdings may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
