Some Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UCTT) shareholders may be a little concerned to see that the Chief Business Officer, Christopher Cook, recently sold a substantial US$849k worth of stock at a price of US$73.96 per share. That's a big disposal, and it decreased their holding size by 10%, which is notable but not too bad.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Ultra Clean Holdings

Notably, that recent sale by Christopher Cook is the biggest insider sale of Ultra Clean Holdings shares that we've seen in the last year. That means that even when the share price was below the current price of US$79.90, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. As a general rule we consider it to be discouraging when insiders are selling below the current price, because it suggests they were happy with a lower valuation. Please do note, however, that sellers may have a variety of reasons for selling, so we don't know for sure what they think of the stock price. It is worth noting that this sale was only 10% of Christopher Cook's holding.

In the last year Ultra Clean Holdings insiders didn't buy any company stock. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: Most of them are flying under the radar).

Does Ultra Clean Holdings Boast High Insider Ownership?

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Ultra Clean Holdings insiders own about US$69m worth of shares. That equates to 1.8% 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 Do The Ultra Clean Holdings Insider Transactions Indicate?

An insider hasn't bought Ultra Clean Holdings stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. Insider ownership isn't particularly high, so this analysis makes us cautious about the company. We're in no rush to buy! In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Ultra Clean Holdings. To assist with this, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Ultra Clean Holdings.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity 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.