Anyone interested in Achieve Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHV) should probably be aware that the Director, Richard A. Stewart, recently divested US$175k worth of shares in the company, at an average price of US$8.49 each. On the bright side, that sale was only 9.0% of their holding, so we doubt it's very meaningful, on its own.
Notably, that recent sale by Richard A. Stewart is the biggest insider sale of Achieve Life Sciences shares that we've seen in the last year. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of US$7.99. 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).
The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!
See our latest analysis for Achieve Life Sciences
I will like Achieve Life Sciences better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of undervalued and small cap stocks with considerable, recent, insider buying.
For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 2.3% of Achieve Life Sciences shares, worth about US$19m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.
An insider hasn't bought Achieve Life Sciences stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. And even if we look at the last year, we didn't see any purchases. 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. Our analysis shows 4 warning signs for Achieve Life Sciences (3 are concerning!) and we strongly recommend you look at these before investing.
Of course Achieve Life Sciences 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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