We wouldn't blame Oceaneering International, Inc. (NYSE:OII) shareholders if they were a little worried about the fact that Martin McDonald, the Senior Vice President of Subsea Robotics recently netted about US$2.7m selling shares at an average price of US$38.43. That diminished their holding by a very significant 59%, which arguably implies a strong desire to reallocate capital.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Oceaneering International

In fact, the recent sale by Martin McDonald was the biggest sale of Oceaneering International shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That means that an insider was selling shares at around the current price of US$37.84. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. 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).

Oceaneering International insiders didn't buy any shares over the last year. 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 Oceaneering International better if I see some big insider buys.

Does Oceaneering International Boast High Insider Ownership?

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that Oceaneering International insiders own 1.5% of the company, worth about US$57m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

So What Do The Oceaneering International Insider Transactions Indicate?

Insiders sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. Looking to the last twelve months, our data doesn't show any insider buying. But it is good to see that Oceaneering International is growing earnings. Insider ownership isn't particularly high, so this analysis makes us cautious about the company. We'd practice some caution before buying! In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Oceaneering International.

But note: Oceaneering International 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.