We wouldn't blame Tennant Company (NYSE:TNC) shareholders if they were a little worried about the fact that Richard Zay, the Senior VP & Chief Commercial Officer recently netted about US$605k selling shares at an average price of US$88.02. That sale reduced their total holding by 20% which is hardly insignificant, but far from the worst we've seen.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Tennant

Notably, that recent sale by Richard Zay is the biggest insider sale of Tennant shares that we've seen in the last year. That means that an insider was selling shares at around the current price of US$82.53. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. Given that the sale took place at around current prices, it makes us a little cautious but is hardly a major concern.

In the last twelve months insiders purchased 20.76k shares for US$1.3m. But they sold 10.92k shares for US$941k. Overall, Tennant insiders were net buyers during the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. If investing in lesser known companies is your style, you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Insider Ownership Of Tennant

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 2.2% of Tennant shares, worth about US$31m. 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 Tennant Insiders?

The recent insider purchases are heartening. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. Insiders likely see value in Tennant shares, given these transactions (along with notable insider ownership of the company). So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting 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.