We wouldn't blame Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) shareholders if they were a little worried about the fact that Rhodes Bobbitt, the Independent Director recently netted about US$758k selling shares at an average price of US$37.88. That's a big disposal, and it decreased their holding size by 17%, which is notable but not too bad.

Hilltop Holdings Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The insider, Gerald Ford, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$9.9m worth of shares at a price of US$37.98 each. That means that an insider was selling shares at around the current price of US$37.72. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place 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).

All up, insiders sold more shares in Hilltop Holdings than they bought, 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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Insider Ownership Of Hilltop Holdings

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Hilltop Holdings insiders own 33% of the company, currently worth about US$719m based on the recent share price. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

So What Do The Hilltop Holdings Insider Transactions Indicate?

Insiders haven't bought Hilltop Holdings stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. Despite some insider buying, the longer term picture doesn't make us feel much more positive. But since Hilltop Holdings is profitable and growing, we're not too worried by this. While insiders do own a lot of shares in the company (which is good), our analysis of their transactions doesn't make us feel confident about the company. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company.

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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.