We'd be surprised if Sinclair, Inc. (NASDAQ:SBGI) shareholders haven't noticed that an insider, David Gibber, recently sold US$490k worth of stock at US$16.67 per share. The eyebrow raising move amounted to a reduction of 14% in their holding.

Sinclair Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Executive Chairman of the Board David Smith for US$3.7m worth of shares, at about US$14.98 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is US$16.31. Of course they may have changed their mind. But this suggests they are optimistic. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it's a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. Happily, the Sinclair insiders decided to buy shares at close to current prices.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$13m for 922.88k shares. But they sold 29.38k shares for US$490k. Overall, Sinclair insiders were net buyers during the last year. 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!

Sinclair is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of under-the-radar companies with insider buying.

Insider Ownership Of Sinclair

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. Sinclair insiders own about US$473m worth of shares (which is 42% of the company). This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.

So What Do The Sinclair Insider Transactions Indicate?

An insider sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. In contrast, they appear keener if you look at the last twelve months. On top of that, insiders own a significant portion of the company. So the recent selling doesn't worry us. While it's good to be aware of what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision.

But note: Sinclair 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.