Mesa Laboratories, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:MLAB) stock rose 11% last week, but insiders who sold US$62k worth of stock over the last year are probably in a more advantageous position. Selling at an average price of US$97.12, which is higher than the current price, may have been the best move for these insiders because 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.

Mesa Laboratories Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The VP, CFO & Chief Accounting Officer, John Sakys, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$62k worth of shares at a price of US$97.12 each. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place at a lower price. The good news is that this large sale was at well above current price of US$87.25. So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price. The only individual insider seller over the last year was John Sakys.

The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of small cap stocks that are not only being bought by insiders but also have attractive valuations.

Does Mesa Laboratories Boast High 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. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Insiders own 3.1% of Mesa Laboratories shares, worth about US$15m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Mesa Laboratories Insiders?

It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Mesa Laboratories shares in the last quarter. We don't take much encouragement from the transactions by Mesa Laboratories insiders. But we do like the fact that insiders own a fair chunk of the company. Therefore, you should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for Mesa Laboratories.

Of course Mesa Laboratories 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.

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.