We'd be surprised if Banc of California, Inc. (NYSE:BANC) shareholders haven't noticed that the Chief Credit Officer & Executive VP, Bryan Corsini, recently sold US$286k worth of stock at US$19.06 per share. That sale was 20% of their holding, so it does make us raise an eyebrow.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Banc of California

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the EVP & President of the Bank, Hamid Hussain, sold US$668k worth of shares at a price of US$16.81 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to take some cash off the table, even below the current price of US$18.93. 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. 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. We note that the biggest single sale was 84% of Hamid Hussain's holding. Notably Hamid Hussain was also the biggest buyer, having purchased US$296k worth of shares.

In total, Banc of California insiders sold more than they bought 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 want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

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Insider Ownership Of Banc of California

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 1.0% of Banc of California shares, worth about US$30m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

So What Do The Banc of California Insider Transactions Indicate?

An insider hasn't bought Banc of California stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. And our longer term analysis of insider transactions didn't bring confidence, either. But it is good to see that Banc of California is growing earnings. Insider ownership isn't particularly high, so this analysis makes us cautious about the company. We're in no rush to buy! So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing.

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 of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.

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.