We'd be surprised if One Liberty Properties, Inc. (NYSE:OLP) shareholders haven't noticed that the Senior VP & Director, Jeffrey Gould, recently sold US$381k worth of stock at US$28.50 per share. However, the silver lining is that the sale only reduced their total holding by 3.6%, so we're hesitant to read anything much into it, on its own.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At One Liberty Properties

In fact, the recent sale by Senior VP & Director Jeffrey Gould was not their only sale of One Liberty Properties shares this year. Earlier in the year, they fetched US$23.20 per share in a -US$416k sale. That means that an insider was selling shares at slightly below the current price (US$28.38). When an insider sells below the current price, it suggests that they considered that lower price to be fair. That makes us wonder what they think of the (higher) recent valuation. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. It is worth noting that this sale was only 4.5% of Jeffrey Gould's holding.

Insiders in One Liberty Properties didn't buy any shares in the last year. 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!

I will like One Liberty Properties better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of undervalued and small cap stocks with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Insider Ownership Of One Liberty Properties

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. Insiders own 16% of One Liberty Properties shares, worth about US$96m. 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 One Liberty Properties Insider Transactions Indicate?

Insiders haven't bought One Liberty Properties stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. Looking to the last twelve months, our data doesn't show any insider buying. But it is good to see that One Liberty Properties is growing earnings. Insider ownership isn't particularly high, so this analysis makes us cautious about the company. So we'd only buy after careful consideration. While it's good to be aware of what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. At Simply Wall St, we've found that One Liberty Properties has 5 warning signs (3 are a bit concerning!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.

Of course One Liberty Properties 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.