When a single insider purchases stock, it is typically not a major deal. However, when multiple insiders purchase stock, like in PetMed Express, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:PETS) instance, it's good news for shareholders.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

View our latest analysis for PetMed Express

PetMed Express Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Independent Director Gian Fulgoni for US$301k worth of shares, at about US$7.34 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher than US$4.05 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$452k for 61.74k shares. But they sold 601.00 shares for US$1.9k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by PetMed Express insiders. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. If investing in lesser known companies is your style, you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Have PetMed Express Insiders Traded Recently?

In the last quarter Vice President of People Jacqueline Smith sold US$1.9k worth of equity. That's not a lot. The net selling is so small that it's hard to draw any conclusions from these recent transactions.

Does PetMed Express Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Based on our data, PetMed Express insiders have about 4.3% of the stock, worth approximately US$3.6m. But they may have an indirect interest through a corporate structure that we haven't picked up on. I generally like to see higher levels of ownership.

So What Do The PetMed Express Insider Transactions Indicate?

While there has not been any insider buying in the last three months, there has been selling. But the sales were small, so we're not concerned. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. While we have no worries about the insider transactions, we'd be more comfortable if they owned more PetMed Express stock. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing PetMed Express. For example - PetMed Express has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

Of course PetMed Express 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.

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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.