Anyone interested in Sonida Senior Living, Inc. (NYSE:SNDA) should probably be aware that the Independent Director, Benjamin Harris, recently divested US$249k worth of shares in the company, at an average price of US$39.79 each. Equally important, that sale actually reduced their holding by a full 68% which hardly makes us feel bullish about the stock.

Sonida Senior Living Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The Independent Chairman of the Board Michael Simanovsky made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$6.0m worth of shares at a price of US$26.74 each. We do like to see buying, but this purchase was made at well below the current price of US$39.56. While it does suggest insiders consider the stock undervalued at lower prices, this transaction doesn't tell us much about what they think of current prices.

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!

Sonida Senior Living is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find small cap companies at attractive valuations, this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Does Sonida Senior Living 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 Sonida Senior Living insiders own 8.1% of the company, worth about US$151m. 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 Do The Sonida Senior Living Insider Transactions Indicate?

An insider sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. On the other hand, the insider transactions over the last year are encouraging. On top of that, insiders own a significant portion of the company. So we're happy to look past recent trading. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company.

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.