We wouldn't blame QuinStreet, Inc. (NASDAQ:QNST) shareholders if they were a little worried about the fact that Stuart Huizinga, the Independent Director recently netted about US$695k selling shares at an average price of US$23.15. That sale reduced their total holding by 27% which is hardly insignificant, but far from the worst we've seen.

QuinStreet Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Chief Financial Officer, Gregory Wong, sold US$781k worth of shares at a price of US$18.66 per share. That means that an insider was selling shares at slightly below the current price (US$20.31). 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. This single sale was just 19% of Gregory Wong's stake.

QuinStreet insiders didn't buy any shares over the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

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Does QuinStreet Boast High Insider Ownership?

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It appears that QuinStreet insiders own 4.7% of the company, worth about US$54m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At QuinStreet Tell Us?

Insiders haven't bought QuinStreet stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. We'd practice some caution before buying! 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. You'd be interested to know, that we found 2 warning signs for QuinStreet and we suggest you have a look.

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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.

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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.