Whilst it may not be a huge deal, we thought it was good to see that the Velodyne Lidar, Inc. (NASDAQ:VLDR) Independent Director, Virginia Boulet, recently bought US$65k worth of stock, for US$1.63 per share. While that isn't the hugest buy, it actually boosted their shareholding by 65%, which is good to see.

See our latest analysis for Velodyne Lidar

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Velodyne Lidar

The insider, David Hall, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$26m worth of shares at a price of US$2.55 each. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. The good news is that this large sale was at well above current price of US$1.58. So it may not shed much light on insider confidence at current levels.

In the last twelve months insiders purchased 200.20k shares for US$429k. On the other hand they divested 52.33m shares, for US$171m. Over the last year we saw more insider selling of Velodyne Lidar shares, than buying. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

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Insider Ownership of Velodyne Lidar

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Velodyne Lidar insiders own about US$58m worth of shares. That equates to 18% of the company. 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 Velodyne Lidar Insider Transactions Indicate?

The stark truth for Velodyne Lidar is that there has been more insider selling than insider buying in the last three months. Despite some insider buying, the longer term picture doesn't make us feel much more positive. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. We're in no rush to buy! In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Velodyne Lidar. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for Velodyne Lidar 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, but not derivative transactions.

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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.