We'd be surprised if Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) shareholders haven't noticed that the Chief Financial Officer, Todd Dissinger, recently sold US$165k worth of stock at US$16.54 per share. The eyebrow raising move amounted to a reduction of 16% in their holding.

See our latest analysis for Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent sale by Todd Dissinger was the biggest sale of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage 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$16.00. 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).

The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

I will like Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

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. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage insiders own about US$93m worth of shares. That equates to 25% 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.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Insiders?

An insider sold Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage shares recently, but they didn't buy any. And even if we look at the last year, we didn't see any purchases. But since Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage is profitable and growing, we're not too worried by this. 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 - Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

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.