Some Cohen & Steers, Inc. (NYSE:CNS) shareholders may be a little concerned to see that the President & Chief Investment Officer, Jon Cheigh, recently sold a substantial US$753k worth of stock at a price of US$71.75 per share. However, that sale only accounted for 6.1% of their holding, so arguably it doesn't say much about their conviction.

Cohen & Steers Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Founder & Executive Chairman Robert Steers for US$6.9m worth of shares, at about US$68.66 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price of US$68.97. Of course they may have changed their mind. But this suggests they are optimistic. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. In this case we're pleased to report that the insider purchases were made at close to current prices.

In the last twelve months insiders purchased 266.43k shares for US$17m. On the other hand they divested 30.20k shares, for US$2.0m. In total, Cohen & Steers insiders bought more than they sold over the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of undervalued small cap companies that insiders are buying.

Does Cohen & Steers Boast High Insider Ownership?

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Cohen & Steers insiders own 46% of the company, currently worth about US$1.7b based on the recent share price. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

So What Do The Cohen & Steers Insider Transactions Indicate?

An insider sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. On the other hand, the insider transactions over the last year are encouraging. We are also comforted by the high levels of insider ownership. So we're not too bothered by recent selling. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company.

But note: Cohen & Steers may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE 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.

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.