Some Winnebago Industries, Inc. (NYSE:WGO) shareholders may be a little concerned to see that the Senior Vice President of HR & Corporate Relations, Bret Woodson, recently sold a substantial US$690k worth of stock at a price of US$56.64 per share. That sale reduced their total holding by 42% which is hardly insignificant, but far from the worst we've seen.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Winnebago Industries

The Senior Vice President of Business Development, Ashis Bhattacharya, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$701k worth of shares at a price of US$61.48 each. So what is clear is that an insider saw fit to sell at around the current price of US$57.11. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. We note that this sale took place at around the current price, so it isn't a major concern, though it's hardly a good sign.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$248k for 4.50k shares. But insiders sold 36.33k shares worth US$2.2m. All up, insiders sold more shares in Winnebago Industries than they bought, over the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

For those who like to find hidden gems this free list of small cap companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

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. Winnebago Industries insiders own about US$58m worth of shares. That equates to 3.5% 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 Does This Data Suggest About Winnebago Industries Insiders?

The stark truth for Winnebago Industries 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. While insiders do own shares, they don't own a heap, and they have been selling. So we'd only buy after careful consideration. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Winnebago Industries. While conducting our analysis, we found that Winnebago Industries has 4 warning signs and it would be unwise to ignore them.

Of course Winnebago Industries may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.