We wouldn't blame Silgan Holdings Inc. (NYSE:SLGN) shareholders if they were a little worried about the fact that Jay Martin, the Senior Vice President recently netted about US$2.0m selling shares at an average price of US$46.79. That sale reduced their total holding by 29% which is hardly insignificant, but far from the worst we've seen.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Silgan Holdings

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Non-Executive Chairman, Anthony Allott, sold US$3.4m worth of shares at a price of US$42.00 per share. That means that even when the share price was below the current price of US$47.84, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. 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 14% of Anthony Allott's stake.

In the last year Silgan Holdings 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!

I will like Silgan Holdings better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Insider Ownership Of Silgan Holdings

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Silgan Holdings insiders own 24% of the company, currently worth about US$1.2b 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.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Silgan Holdings Tell Us?

Insiders sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. And even if we look at the last year, we didn't see any purchases. 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 Silgan Holdings. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Silgan Holdings you should be aware of, and 1 of them shouldn't be ignored.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

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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