Byrna Technologies Inc.'s (NASDAQ:BYRN) stock rose 13% last week, but insiders who sold US$145k worth of stock over the last year are probably in a more advantageous position. Holding on to stock would have meant their investment would be worth less now than it was at the time of sale. Thus selling at an average price of US$29.00, which is higher than the current price, may have been the best decision.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

Byrna Technologies Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the Independent Director, Herbert Hughes, for US$145k worth of shares, at about US$29.00 per share. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place at a lower price. It's of some comfort that this sale was conducted at a price well above the current share price, which is US$6.24. So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price. Herbert Hughes was the only individual insider to sell shares in the last twelve months.

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!

I will like Byrna Technologies better if I see some big insider buys.

Have Byrna Technologies Insiders Traded Recently?

There was some insider buying at Byrna Technologies over the last quarter. Advisor Bryan Ganz bought US$9.8k worth of shares in that time. It's good to see the insider buying, as well as the lack of recent sellers. But in this case the amount purchased means the recent transaction may not be very meaningful on its own.

Insider Ownership Of Byrna Technologies

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 19% of Byrna Technologies shares, worth about US$28m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Byrna Technologies Insiders?

We note a that there has been a bit of insider buying recently (but no selling). The net investment is not enough to encourage us much. We don't take much encouragement from the transactions by Byrna Technologies insiders. But it's good to see that insiders own shares in the company. 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. At Simply Wall St, we've found that Byrna Technologies has 4 warning signs (2 are potentially serious!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.

But note: Byrna Technologies 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.