Despite the fact that Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ:NVAX) stock rose 23% last week, insiders who sold US$713k worth of stock in the previous 12 months are likely to be better off. Selling at an average price of US$12.54, which is higher than the current price, may have been the wisest decision for these insiders as their investment would have been worth less now than when they sold.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

Novavax Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The insider, Filip Dubovsky, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$384k worth of shares at a price of US$13.90 each. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold 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 US$9.76. So it may not shed much light on insider confidence at current levels.

In total, Novavax insiders sold more than they bought over the last year. 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!

If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: Most of them are flying under the radar).

Insiders At Novavax Have Sold Stock Recently

Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider selling at Novavax. In total, insiders sold US$120k worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. In light of this it's hard to argue that all the insiders think that the shares are a bargain.

Insider Ownership

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. From looking at our data, insiders own US$4.4m worth of Novavax stock, about 0.3% of the company. We prefer to see high levels of insider ownership.

So What Do The Novavax Insider Transactions Indicate?

Insiders haven't bought Novavax stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. Despite some insider buying, the longer term picture doesn't make us feel much more positive. Insiders own relatively few shares in the company, and when you consider the sales, we're not particularly excited about the stock. So we're not rushing to buy, to say the least. 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. When we did our research, we found 2 warning signs for Novavax (1 is concerning!) that we believe deserve your full attention.

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.