Despite the fact that Integral Ad Science Holding Corp.'s (NASDAQ:IAS) value has dropped 37% in the last week insiders who sold US$2.7m worth of stock in the past 12 months have had less success. Insiders would probably have been better off holding on to their shares given that the average selling price of US$16.03 is still lower than the current share price.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Integral Ad Science Holding

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the CEO & Director, Lisa Utzschneider, for US$1.1m worth of shares, at about US$17.67 per share. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place at a lower price. The silver lining is that this sell-down took place above the latest price (US$10.01). So it is hard to draw any strong conclusion from it.

In the last year Integral Ad Science Holding insiders didn't buy any company stock. 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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Insiders At Integral Ad Science Holding Have Sold Stock Recently

The last quarter saw substantial insider selling of Integral Ad Science Holding shares. Specifically, insiders ditched US$743k 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.

Insider Ownership

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Integral Ad Science Holding insiders own about US$16m worth of shares. That equates to 0.6% of the company. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Integral Ad Science Holding Tell Us?

Insiders sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. And even if we look at the last year, we didn't see any purchases. While insiders do own shares, they don't own a heap, and they have been selling. We're in no rush to buy! 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 - Integral Ad Science Holding has 4 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

Of course Integral Ad Science Holding 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.