We'd be surprised if Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKAM) shareholders haven't noticed that the Executive Vice President of Global Sales & Services, Paul Joseph, recently sold US$393k worth of stock at US$127 per share. However, the silver lining is that the sale only reduced their total holding by 8.9%, so we're hesitant to read anything much into it, on its own.

Akamai Technologies Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The Co-Founder F. Leighton made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$3.6m worth of shares at a price of US$72.30 each. Even though the purchase was made at a significantly lower price than the recent price (US$117), we still think insider buying is a positive. Because the shares were purchased at a lower price, this particular buy doesn't tell us much about how insiders feel about the current share price.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 53.00k shares worth US$3.8m. On the other hand they divested 76.50k shares, for US$7.9m. In total, Akamai Technologies insiders sold more than they bought over the last year. 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!

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Does Akamai Technologies Boast High Insider Ownership?

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. It's great to see that Akamai Technologies insiders own 2.1% of the company, worth about US$374m. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Akamai Technologies Tell Us?

An insider hasn't bought Akamai Technologies stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. Zooming out, the longer term picture doesn't give us much comfort. But it is good to see that Akamai Technologies is growing earnings. It is good to see high insider ownership, but the insider selling leaves us cautious. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Akamai Technologies.

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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.