Anyone interested in Byrna Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:BYRN) should probably be aware that a company insider, Victor Eng, recently divested US$444k worth of shares in the company, at an average price of US$13.42 each. That sale was 38% of their holding, so it does make us raise an eyebrow.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Byrna Technologies

Notably, that recent sale by Victor Eng is the biggest insider sale of Byrna Technologies shares that we've seen in the last year. So what is clear is that an insider saw fit to sell at around the current price of US$13.41. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. Given that the sale took place at around current prices, it makes us a little cautious but is hardly a major concern.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 82.14k shares worth US$230k. On the other hand they divested 135.41k shares, for US$1.1m. In total, Byrna Technologies insiders sold more than they bought over the last year. The sellers received a price of around US$7.88, on average. It's not too encouraging to see that insiders have sold at below the current price. Of course, the sales could be motivated for a multitude of reasons, so we shouldn't jump to conclusions. 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!

I will like Byrna Technologies better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Insider Ownership

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that Byrna Technologies insiders own 21% of the company, worth about US$64m. 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 Do The Byrna Technologies Insider Transactions Indicate?

Insiders haven't bought Byrna Technologies stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. Zooming out, the longer term picture doesn't give us much comfort. While insiders do own shares, they don't own a heap, and they have been selling. We're in no rush to buy! In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Byrna Technologies. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 3 warning signs with Byrna Technologies and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity 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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