We wouldn't blame CMS Energy Corporation (NYSE:CMS) shareholders if they were a little worried about the fact that John Russell, the Independent Chairman of the Board recently netted about US$1.9m selling shares at an average price of US$65.85. That sale reduced their total holding by 17% which is hardly insignificant, but far from the worst we've seen.

CMS Energy Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent sale by John Russell was the biggest sale of CMS Energy shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That means that even when the share price was slightly below the current price of US$66.61, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. We generally consider it a negative if insiders have been selling, especially if they did so below the current price, because it implies that they considered a lower price to be reasonable. However, while insider selling is sometimes discouraging, it's only a weak signal. It is worth noting that this sale was only 17% of John Russell's holding.

Insiders in CMS Energy didn't buy any shares in the last year. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

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Insider Ownership

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It's great to see that CMS Energy insiders own 0.5% of the company, worth about US$104m. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At CMS Energy Tell Us?

Insiders sold CMS Energy shares recently, but they didn't buy any. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. On the plus side, CMS Energy makes money, and is growing profits. While insiders do own a lot of shares in the company (which is good), our analysis of their transactions doesn't make us feel confident about the company. While it's good to be aware of what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 5 warning signs for CMS Energy (of which 1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) you should know about.

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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.