Are Insiders Selling Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) Stock?
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We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. On the other hand, we’d be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So we’ll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX).
Do Insider Transactions Matter?
It’s quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.
We don’t think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Columbia University study found that ‘insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own company’s stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers’.
View our latest analysis for Cognex
Cognex Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by Lead Independent Director Anthony Sun for US$1.1m worth of shares, at about US$56.04 per share. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of US$50.10. While their view may have changed since the sale, this is not a particularly positive fact. We usually pause to reflect on the potential that a stock has a high valuation, if insiders have been selling at around the current price. The only individual insider seller over the last year was Anthony Sun.
Anthony Sun sold a total of 30.00k shares over the year at an average price of US$54.65. 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.
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. It’s great to see that Cognex insiders own 4.7% of the company, worth about US$404m. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.
So What Do The Cognex Insider Transactions Indicate?
There haven’t been any insider transactions in the last three months — that doesn’t mean much. While we feel good about high insider ownership of Cognex, we can’t say the same about the selling of shares. Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for Cognex.
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.
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.
