Anyone interested in U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE:USPH) should probably be aware that the President & COO, Eric Williams, recently divested US$192k worth of shares in the company, at an average price of US$95.84 each. The eyebrow raising move amounted to a reduction of 12% in their holding.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At U.S. Physical Therapy

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Chairman & CEO, Christopher Reading, sold US$291k worth of shares at a price of US$100 per share. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of US$91.87. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. 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).

Over the last year we saw more insider selling of U.S. Physical Therapy shares, than buying. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

For those who like to find hidden gems this free list of small cap companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Does U.S. Physical Therapy Boast High Insider Ownership?

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It appears that U.S. Physical Therapy insiders own 1.6% of the company, worth about US$23m. 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 Does This Data Suggest About U.S. Physical Therapy Insiders?

The stark truth for U.S. Physical Therapy is that there has been more insider selling than insider buying in the last three months. Despite some insider buying, the longer term picture doesn't make us feel much more positive. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. We'd practice some caution before buying! While it's good to be aware of what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. To assist with this, we've discovered 4 warning signs that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of U.S. Physical Therapy.

Of course U.S. Physical Therapy 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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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.