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Have Insiders Been Selling ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ACAD) Shares?

We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ACAD).

What Is Insider Buying?

It's quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.

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We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own company’s stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'.

View our latest analysis for ACADIA Pharmaceuticals

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At ACADIA Pharmaceuticals

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Controller & Principal Accounting Officer, Eric Miller, sold US$191k worth of shares at a price of US$41.18 per share. That means that an insider was selling shares at around the current price of US$40.99. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. 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). Eric Miller was the only individual insider to sell shares in the last twelve months.

The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

NasdaqGS:ACAD Recent Insider Trading, November 7th 2019
NasdaqGS:ACAD Recent Insider Trading, November 7th 2019

If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Insiders at ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Have Sold Stock Recently

Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider selling at ACADIA Pharmaceuticals. In total, Controller & Principal Accounting Officer Eric Miller dumped US$191k worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. This may suggest that some insiders think that the shares are not cheap.

Insider Ownership of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. From our data, it seems that ACADIA Pharmaceuticals insiders own 0.1% of the company, worth about US$9.2m. Whilst better than nothing, we're not overly impressed by these holdings.

So What Do The ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Insider Transactions Indicate?

An insider sold ACADIA Pharmaceuticals shares recently, but they didn't buy any. Looking to the last twelve months, our data doesn't show any insider buying. When you combine this with the relatively low insider ownership, we are very cautious about the stock. We'd certainly think twice before buying! Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for ACADIA Pharmaceuticals.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting 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, but not derivative transactions.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.