While AsiaInfo Technologies Limited (HKG:1675) shareholders have had a good week with the stock up 10%, they shouldn't let their guards down. The fact that insiders chose to dispose of CN¥1.4m worth of stock in the past 12 months even though prices were relatively low could be indicative of some anticipated weakness.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

View our latest analysis for AsiaInfo Technologies

AsiaInfo Technologies Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the insider, Tzu Lien Liu, for HK$1.4m worth of shares, at about HK$14.56 per share. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. The good news is that this large sale was at well above current price of HK$8.93. So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price. Tzu Lien Liu was the only individual insider to sell over the last year.

You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. 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 Of AsiaInfo Technologies

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. AsiaInfo Technologies insiders own about HK$1.8b worth of shares (which is 21% of the company). I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At AsiaInfo Technologies Tell Us?

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 AsiaInfo Technologies, we can't say the same about the selling of shares. 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. For example - AsiaInfo Technologies has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

But note: AsiaInfo Technologies may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

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.