Some IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) shareholders may be a little concerned to see that the Executive VP, Eric Sherbet, recently sold a substantial US$1.2m worth of stock at a price of US$249 per share. That sale reduced their total holding by 19% which is hardly insignificant, but far from the worst we've seen.

IQVIA Holdings Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent sale by Eric Sherbet was the biggest sale of IQVIA Holdings shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of US$233. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place at a lower price. In this case, the big sale took place at around the current price, so it's not too bad (but it's still not a positive).

In the last year IQVIA Holdings insiders didn't buy any company stock. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

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Insider Ownership

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. IQVIA Holdings insiders own about US$376m worth of shares (which is 1.0% of the company). I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About IQVIA Holdings Insiders?

Insiders sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. And even if we look at the last year, we didn't see any purchases. But it is good to see that IQVIA Holdings is growing earnings. The company boasts high insider ownership, but we're a little hesitant, given the history of share sales. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. Be aware that IQVIA Holdings is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those can't be ignored...

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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.