Did Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) Insiders Sell Shares?
It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So we’ll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH).
Do Insider Transactions Matter?
It’s quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.
We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. 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’.
Check out our latest analysis for Hilltop Holdings
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Hilltop Holdings
In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when Hillel Feinberg sold US$1.1m worth of shares at a price of US$22.71 per share. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of US$19.20. They could have a variety of motivations for selling, but it’s still not particularly encouraging to see. We usually pause to reflect on the potential that a stock has a high valuation, if insiders have been selling at around the current price.
Over the last year, we note insiders sold 121.33k shares worth US$2.6m. In total, Hilltop Holdings insiders sold more than they bought over the last year. The average sell price was around US$21.47. It’s not particularly great to see insiders were selling shares around current prices. Since insiders sell for many reasons, we wouldn’t put too much weight on it. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!
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Hilltop Holdings Insiders Are Selling The Stock
The last three months saw significant insider selling at Hilltop Holdings. Specifically, Hillel Feinberg ditched US$1.0m 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 Hilltop Holdings
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. Hilltop Holdings insiders own about US$408m worth of shares (which is 23% of the company). Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.
What Might The Insider Transactions At Hilltop Holdings Tell Us?
An insider sold stock recently, but they haven’t been buying. Looking to the last twelve months, our data doesn’t show any insider buying. The company boasts high insider ownership, but we’re a little hesitant, given the history of share sales. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in Hilltop Holdings, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
If you would prefer to check out another company — one with potentially superior financials — then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.
To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.
The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
