We wouldn't blame MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) shareholders if they were a little worried about the fact that Nishan Vartanian, the Chairman & CEO recently netted about US$1.9m selling shares at an average price of US$183. That sale reduced their total holding by 17% which is hardly insignificant, but far from the worst we've seen.

MSA Safety Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent sale by Nishan Vartanian was the biggest sale of MSA Safety shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of US$184. 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).

Insiders in MSA Safety didn't buy any shares in the last year. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Insider Ownership Of MSA Safety

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. MSA Safety insiders own 6.3% of the company, currently worth about US$460m based on the recent share price. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

So What Do The MSA Safety Insider Transactions Indicate?

Insiders sold MSA Safety shares recently, but they didn't buy any. Looking to the last twelve months, our data doesn't show any insider buying. It is good to see high insider ownership, but the insider selling leaves us cautious. 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. At Simply Wall St, we've found that MSA Safety has 4 warning signs (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.

Of course MSA Safety 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.