Looking at Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:HSII ) insider transactions over the last year, we can see that insiders were net sellers. That is, there were more number of shares sold by insiders than there were purchased.

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

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Heidrick & Struggles International

The Executive VP & CFO, Mark Harris, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$222k worth of shares at a price of US$31.77 each. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of US$31.58. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place 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 only individual insider seller over the last year was Mark Harris.

Mark Harris ditched 13.00k shares over the year. The average price per share was US$30.05. 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!

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Heidrick & Struggles International Insiders Are Selling The Stock

The last three months saw significant insider selling at Heidrick & Struggles International. In total, Executive VP & CFO Mark Harris dumped US$222k worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. This may suggest that some insiders think that the shares are not cheap.

Does Heidrick & Struggles International Boast High Insider Ownership?

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. Heidrick & Struggles International insiders own about US$15m worth of shares. That equates to 2.4% of the company. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

So What Do The Heidrick & Struggles International Insider Transactions Indicate?

An insider hasn't bought Heidrick & Struggles International stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. Insider ownership isn't particularly high, so this analysis makes us cautious about the company. We're in no rush to buy! In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Heidrick & Struggles International. You'd be interested to know, that we found 2 warning signs for Heidrick & Struggles International and we suggest you have a look.

But note: Heidrick & Struggles International 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com