Pacific Basin Shipping Limited (HKG:2343) shareholders might have a reason to worry after multiple insiders sold their shares over the last year. Knowing whether insiders are buying is usually more helpful when evaluating insider transactions, as insider selling can have various explanations. However, shareholders should take a deeper look if several insiders are selling stock over a specific time period.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

Check out our latest analysis for Pacific Basin Shipping

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Pacific Basin Shipping

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the insider, Peter Schulz, for HK$3.2m worth of shares, at about HK$3.16 per share. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place at a lower price. It's of some comfort that this sale was conducted at a price well above the current share price, which is HK$2.17. So it is hard to draw any strong conclusion from it.

Over the last year we saw more insider selling of Pacific Basin Shipping shares, than buying. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Insiders At Pacific Basin Shipping Have Bought Stock Recently

Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider buying at Pacific Basin Shipping. Specifically, CEO & Executive Director Martin Fruergaard bought HK$510k worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any sales whatsoever. That shows some optimism about the company's future.

Insider Ownership Of Pacific Basin Shipping

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 0.4% of Pacific Basin Shipping shares, worth about HK$40m, 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 Pacific Basin Shipping Insiders?

The recent insider purchase is heartening. On the other hand the transaction history, over the last year, isn't so positive. While recent transactions indicate confidence in Pacific Basin Shipping, insiders don't own enough of the company to overcome our cautiousness about the longer term transactions. Overall they seem reasonably aligned. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Pacific Basin Shipping. For example, Pacific Basin Shipping has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit concerning) we think you should know about.

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.