Have Insiders Sold Energy Services of America Shares Recently?

We wouldn't blame Energy Services of America Corporation (NASDAQ:ESOA) shareholders if they were a little worried about the fact that Marshall Reynolds, the Chairman of the Board recently netted about US$837k selling shares at an average price of US$8.37. However, that sale only accounted for 6.6% of their holding, so arguably it doesn't say much about their conviction.

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The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Energy Services of America

In fact, the recent sale by Marshall Reynolds was the biggest sale of Energy Services of America shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of US$8.06. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. In this case, the big sale took place at around the current price, so it's not too bad (but it's still not a positive).

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 23.27k shares worth US$250k. On the other hand they divested 134.71k shares, for US$1.4m. Marshall Reynolds sold a total of 134.71k shares over the year at an average price of US$10.35. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

See our latest analysis for Energy Services of America

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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. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It appears that Energy Services of America insiders own 26% of the company, worth about US$37m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Energy Services of America Insiders?

An insider hasn't bought Energy Services of America stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. And our longer term analysis of insider transactions didn't bring confidence, either. While insiders do own shares, they don't own a heap, and they have been selling. We'd practice some caution before buying! So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. To help with this, we've discovered 3 warning signs (2 make us uncomfortable!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in Energy Services of America.

Of course Energy Services of America 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.