Looking at SMART Global Holdings, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:SGH ) 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.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

View our latest analysis for SMART Global Holdings

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At SMART Global Holdings

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the Director, Sandeep Nayyar, for US$338k worth of shares, at about US$27.65 per share. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. The good news is that this large sale was at well above current price of US$14.64. So it may not shed much light on insider confidence at current levels. The only individual insider seller over the last year was Sandeep Nayyar.

Sandeep Nayyar sold a total of 22.03k shares over the year at an average price of US$27.04. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

SMART Global Holdings Insiders Bought Stock Recently

We saw some SMART Global Holdings insider buying shares in the last three months. Senior VP & CFO Ken Rizvi bought US$24k worth of shares in that time. It's good to see the insider buying, as well as the lack of recent sellers. But in this case the amount purchased means the recent transaction may not be very meaningful on its own.

Insider Ownership

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 2.8% of SMART Global Holdings shares, worth about US$21m. 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 SMART Global Holdings Insider Transactions Indicate?

We note a that there has been a bit of insider buying recently (but no selling). That said, the purchases were not large. Our analysis of SMART Global Holdings insider transactions leaves us cautious. But we do like the fact that insiders own a fair chunk of the company. 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. To help with this, we've discovered 5 warning signs (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in SMART Global Holdings.

Of course SMART Global Holdings 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.