We wouldn't blame Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) shareholders if they were a little worried about the fact that Mary Gibbons, the Senior VP recently netted about US$536k selling shares at an average price of US$63.01. However, that sale only accounted for 3.5% of their holding, so arguably it doesn't say much about their conviction.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Essent Group

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the Chief Risk Officer & Senior VP, Vijay Bhasin, for US$746k worth of shares, at about US$65.00 per share. That means that an insider was selling shares at around the current price of US$64.55. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. 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).

In the last year Essent Group insiders didn't buy any company stock. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

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

Insider Ownership Of Essent Group

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. Essent Group insiders own 3.7% of the company, currently worth about US$220m based on the recent share price. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.

So What Do The Essent Group Insider Transactions Indicate?

An insider hasn't bought Essent Group stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. Looking to the last twelve months, our data doesn't show any insider buying. But since Essent Group is profitable and growing, we're not too worried by this. It is good to see high insider ownership, but the insider selling leaves us cautious. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Essent Group.

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.