Even if it's not a huge purchase, we think it was good to see that Michael Burbach, the Chief Operating Officer of Ryerson Holding Corporation (NYSE:RYI) recently shelled out US$95k to buy stock, at US$23.75 per share. However, it only increased their shares held by 1.8%, and it wasn't a huge purchase by absolute value, either.

View our latest analysis for Ryerson Holding

Ryerson Holding Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the President, Edward Lehner, for US$639k worth of shares, at about US$29.05 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$22.65. So it may not shed much light on insider confidence at current levels.

In the last twelve months insiders purchased 9.00k shares for US$243k. But insiders sold 57.04k shares worth US$1.7m. Over the last year we saw more insider selling of Ryerson Holding shares, than buying. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

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

Does Ryerson Holding Boast High Insider Ownership?

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Insiders own 3.7% of Ryerson Holding shares, worth about US$28m. 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 Ryerson Holding Insiders?

Unfortunately, there has been more insider selling of Ryerson Holding stock, than buying, in the last three months. Despite some insider buying, the longer term picture doesn't make us feel much more positive. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. We'd practice some caution before buying! While we like knowing 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. To assist with this, we've discovered 4 warning signs that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Ryerson Holding.

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.