One General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) insider reduced their stake by 8.0% in the previous year

Looking at General Dynamics Corporation's (NYSE:GD ) insider transactions over the last year, we can see that insiders were net sellers. That is, there were more number of shares sold by insiders than there were purchased.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

View our latest analysis for General Dynamics

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At General Dynamics

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the Senior VP, Gregory Gallopoulos, for US$2.5m worth of shares, at about US$228 per share. That means that even when the share price was below the current price of US$248, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. We generally consider it a negative if insiders have been selling, especially if they did so below the current price, because it implies that they considered a lower price to be reasonable. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. We note that the biggest single sale was only 8.0% of Gregory Gallopoulos's holding. The only individual insider seller over the last year was Gregory Gallopoulos.

Gregory Gallopoulos sold a total of 21.77k shares over the year at an average price of US$233. 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!

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Insider Ownership Of General Dynamics

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. General Dynamics insiders own 6.3% of the company, currently worth about US$4.3b based on the recent share price. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About General Dynamics Insiders?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. It's great to see high levels of insider ownership, but looking back over the last year, we don't gain confidence from the General Dynamics insiders selling. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing General Dynamics. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for General Dynamics you should be aware of.

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, but not derivative transactions.

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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.

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