Advertisement
U.S. markets open in 9 hours 24 minutes
  • S&P Futures

    5,206.25
    -8.50 (-0.16%)
     
  • Dow Futures

    39,193.00
    -30.00 (-0.08%)
     
  • Nasdaq Futures

    18,172.25
    -59.25 (-0.32%)
     
  • Russell 2000 Futures

    2,046.40
    -3.40 (-0.17%)
     
  • Crude Oil

    82.52
    -0.20 (-0.24%)
     
  • Gold

    2,164.60
    +0.30 (+0.01%)
     
  • Silver

    25.32
    +0.05 (+0.20%)
     
  • EUR/USD

    1.0879
    +0.0002 (+0.02%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.3400
    +0.0360 (+0.84%)
     
  • Vix

    14.33
    -0.08 (-0.56%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2724
    -0.0005 (-0.04%)
     
  • USD/JPY

    149.7940
    +0.6960 (+0.47%)
     
  • Bitcoin USD

    65,835.77
    -1,991.88 (-2.94%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • FTSE 100

    7,722.55
    -4.87 (-0.06%)
     
  • Nikkei 225

    39,610.76
    -129.68 (-0.33%)
     

Have Insiders Been Selling Medifast, Inc. (NYSE:MED) Shares This Year?

We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Medifast, Inc. (NYSE:MED).

Do Insider Transactions Matter?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.

We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.'

Check out our latest analysis for Medifast

Medifast Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Non-Executive Chairman, Michael MacDonald, sold US$2.5m worth of shares at a price of US$133 per share. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place at a lower price. It's of some comfort that this sale was conducted at a price well above the current share price, which is US$106. So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 1175 shares worth US$181k. On the other hand they divested 29361 shares, for US$4.0m. In total, Medifast insiders sold more than they bought over the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by 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!

NYSE:MED Recent Insider Trading, September 15th 2019
NYSE:MED Recent Insider Trading, September 15th 2019

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 of Medifast

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 3.8% of Medifast shares, worth about US$48m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

So What Do The Medifast Insider Transactions Indicate?

The fact that there have been no Medifast insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. We don't take much encouragement from the transactions by Medifast insiders. The modest level of insider ownership is, at least, some comfort. 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 Medifast may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies.

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.

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.

Advertisement