Investors who take an interest in Accuray Incorporated (NASDAQ:ARAY) should definitely note that the Independent Chairman of the Board, Joseph Whitters, recently paid US$1.56 per share to buy US$156k worth of the stock. That's a very solid buy in our book, and increased their holding by a noteworthy 25%.

Accuray Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The President, Suzanne Winter, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$162k worth of shares at a price of US$2.47 each. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. The silver lining is that this sell-down took place above the latest price (US$1.77). So it may not shed much light on insider confidence at current levels.

Over the last year we saw more insider selling of Accuray shares, than buying. 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!

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 Accuray Boast High Insider Ownership?

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Insiders own 4.1% of Accuray shares, worth about US$7.2m, according to our data. Overall, this level of ownership isn't that impressive, but it's certainly better than nothing!

So What Does This Data Suggest About Accuray Insiders?

It is good to see the recent insider purchase. However, the longer term transactions are not so encouraging. Neither the level of insider ownership, nor the transactions over the last twelve months inspire us, but we think the recent buying is positive. 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. While conducting our analysis, we found that Accuray has 2 warning signs and it would be unwise to ignore them.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

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.