Trade Alert: Executive VP Of Incyte Steven Stein Has Sold Stock

We wouldn't blame Incyte Corporation (NASDAQ:INCY) shareholders if they were a little worried about the fact that Steven Stein, the Executive VP recently netted about US$3.2m selling shares at an average price of US$113. Probably the most concerning element of the whole transaction is that the disposal amounted to 55% of their entire holding.

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Incyte Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The insider, Herve Hoppenot, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$20m worth of shares at a price of US$105 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to take some cash off the table, even below the current price of US$117. 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. Please do note, however, that sellers may have a variety of reasons for selling, so we don't know for sure what they think of the stock price. This single sale was just 42% of Herve Hoppenot's stake.

In the last year Incyte insiders didn't buy any company stock. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

See our latest analysis for Incyte

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Insider Ownership

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. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Incyte insiders own 0.6% of the company, currently worth about US$137m based on the recent share price. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Incyte Insiders?

Insiders sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. On the plus side, Incyte makes money, and is growing profits. It is good to see high insider ownership, but the insider selling leaves us cautious. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Incyte. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Incyte (1 is a bit unpleasant) you should be aware of.

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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.