The fact that multiple Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ:MNST) insiders offloaded a considerable amount of shares over the past year could have raised some eyebrows amongst investors. When analyzing insider transactions, it is usually more valuable to know whether insiders are buying versus knowing if they are selling, as the latter sends an ambiguous message. However, if numerous insiders are selling, shareholders should investigate more.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

See our latest analysis for Monster Beverage

Monster Beverage Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The Director, Mark Hall, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$15m worth of shares at a price of US$58.55 each. That means that an insider was selling shares at slightly below the current price (US$60.85). 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. Please do note, however, that sellers may have a variety of reasons for selling, so we don't know for sure what they think of the stock price. This single sale was just 24% of Mark Hall's stake.

Monster Beverage insiders didn't buy any shares over the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

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Insiders At Monster Beverage Have Sold Stock Recently

Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider selling at Monster Beverage. In total, Director Mark Hall sold US$15m worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. Overall this makes us a bit cautious, but it's not the be all and end all.

Insider Ownership Of Monster Beverage

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. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Monster Beverage insiders own about US$239m worth of shares (which is 0.4% of the company). I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.