We wouldn't blame Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) shareholders if they were a little worried about the fact that Christian O'Neil, the President & COO recently netted about US$1.6m selling shares at an average price of US$146. Probably the most concerning element of the whole transaction is that the disposal amounted to 100% of their entire holding.

Kirby Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent sale by Christian O'Neil was the biggest sale of Kirby shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That means that even when the share price was slightly below the current price of US$149, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. We generally consider it a negative if insiders have been selling, especially if they did so below the current price, because it implies that they considered a lower price to be reasonable. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. It is worth noting that this sale was 100% of Christian O'Neil's holding.

Kirby insiders didn't buy any shares 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!

I will like Kirby better if I see some big insider buys.

Insider Ownership

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Kirby insiders own about US$48m worth of shares. That equates to 0.6% of the company. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Kirby Insiders?

Insiders haven't bought Kirby 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. On the plus side, Kirby makes money, and is growing profits. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. So we'd only buy after careful consideration. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company.

Of course Kirby may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality 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.