Some Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESQ) shareholders may be a little concerned to see that the Vice Chairman, Andrew Sagliocca, recently sold a substantial US$1.2m worth of stock at a price of US$123 per share. However, that sale only accounted for 3.3% of their holding, so arguably it doesn't say much about their conviction.
Esquire Financial Holdings Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the insider, Selig Zises, for US$3.2m worth of shares, at about US$107 per share. That means that an insider was selling shares at slightly below the current price (US$121). When an insider sells below the current price, it suggests that they considered that lower price to be fair. That makes us wonder what they think of the (higher) recent valuation. However, while insider selling is sometimes discouraging, it's only a weak signal. This single sale was just 19% of Selig Zises's stake.
Esquire Financial Holdings 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 click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!
View our latest analysis for Esquire Financial Holdings
I will like Esquire Financial Holdings better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of undervalued and small cap stocks with considerable, recent, insider buying.
Does Esquire Financial Holdings 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. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Esquire Financial Holdings insiders own about US$165m worth of shares (which is 12% of the company). This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.
So What Do The Esquire Financial Holdings Insider Transactions Indicate?
Insiders sold Esquire Financial Holdings shares recently, but they didn't buy any. Looking to the last twelve months, our data doesn't show any insider buying. But since Esquire Financial Holdings is profitable and growing, we're not too worried by this. The company boasts high insider ownership, but we're a little hesitant, given the history of share sales. While it's good to be aware of 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 help with this, we've discovered 2 warning signs (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in Esquire Financial Holdings.
But note: Esquire Financial Holdings 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.
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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.