We'd be surprised if Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NYSE:VRTS) shareholders haven't noticed that the Independent Non-Executive Director, Susan S. Cabrera, recently sold US$473k worth of stock at US$142 per share. That sale was 24% of their holding, so it does make us raise an eyebrow.
Virtus Investment Partners Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
In fact, the recent sale by Independent Non-Executive Director Susan S. Cabrera was not their only sale of Virtus Investment Partners shares this year. Earlier in the year, they fetched US$168 per share in a -US$498k sale. 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$138. So it may not shed much light on insider confidence at current levels.
Susan S. Cabrera sold a total of 6.28k shares over the year at an average price of US$155. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!
View our latest analysis for Virtus Investment Partners
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Insider Ownership Of Virtus Investment Partners
Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. 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 6.2% of Virtus Investment Partners shares, worth about US$59m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.
What Might The Insider Transactions At Virtus Investment Partners Tell Us?
An insider sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. On the plus side, Virtus Investment Partners makes money, and is growing profits. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. We're in no rush to buy! While it's good to be aware of 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. Our analysis shows 3 warning signs for Virtus Investment Partners (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) and we strongly recommend you look at these before investing.
Of course Virtus Investment Partners 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 of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.
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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.