BioLife Solutions, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:BLFS) stock price has dropped 11% in the previous week, but insiders who sold US$2.5m in stock over the past year have had less luck. Insiders might have been better off holding onto their shares, given that the average selling price of US$21.82 is still below the current share price.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

View our latest analysis for BioLife Solutions

BioLife Solutions Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the Director, Roderick de Greef, for US$940k worth of shares, at about US$21.44 per share. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. It's of some comfort that this sale was conducted at a price well above the current share price, which is US$12.05. So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price.

BioLife Solutions insiders didn't buy any shares over the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

I will like BioLife Solutions better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Does BioLife Solutions Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. BioLife Solutions insiders own about US$16m worth of shares. That equates to 3.1% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Does This Data Suggest About BioLife Solutions Insiders?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. We don't take much encouragement from the transactions by BioLife Solutions insiders. But it's good to see that insiders own shares in 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. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for BioLife Solutions you should know about.

But note: BioLife Solutions may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE 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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