Quite a few insiders have dramatically grown their holdings in Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:IART) over the past 12 months. An insider's optimism about the company's prospects is a positive sign.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

Integra LifeSciences Holdings Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Executive Chairman Stuart Essig bought US$1.5m worth of shares at a price of US$28.49 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of US$20.37. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 88.99k shares worth US$2.5m. On the other hand they divested 1.19k shares, for US$26k. In total, Integra LifeSciences Holdings insiders bought more than they sold over the last year. 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!

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of undervalued small cap companies that insiders are buying.

Insiders At Integra LifeSciences Holdings Have Sold Stock Recently

We have seen a bit of insider selling at Integra LifeSciences Holdings, over the last three months. Senior VP of Finance & Principal Accounting Officer Jeffrey Mosebrook sold just US$26k worth of shares in that time. It's not great to see insider selling, nor the lack of recent buyers. But the selling simply isn't sufficiently substantial to be of much use as a signal.

Does Integra LifeSciences Holdings 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. Integra LifeSciences Holdings insiders own about US$55m worth of shares. That equates to 3.4% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Integra LifeSciences Holdings Tell Us?

We did not see any insider buying in the last three months, but we did see selling. But the sales were small, so we're not concerned. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Insiders do have a stake in Integra LifeSciences Holdings and their transactions don't cause us concern. 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. Be aware that Integra LifeSciences Holdings is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is a bit concerning...

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting 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.