We wouldn't blame Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) shareholders if they were a little worried about the fact that Hillel Feinberg, a company insider, recently netted about US$1.2m selling shares at an average price of US$32.88. However, that sale only accounted for 6.5% of their holding, so arguably it doesn't say much about their conviction.

Hilltop Holdings Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent sale by Hillel Feinberg was the biggest sale of Hilltop Holdings shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of US$32.07. 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).

Insiders in Hilltop Holdings didn't buy any shares in the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

For those who like to find hidden gems this free list of small cap companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Does Hilltop Holdings Boast High Insider Ownership?

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It's great to see that Hilltop Holdings insiders own 30% of the company, worth about US$618m. 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 Hilltop Holdings shares recently, but they didn't buy any. And even if we look at the last year, we didn't see any purchases. But since Hilltop Holdings 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. 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. For example, Hilltop Holdings has 3 warning signs (and 1 which can't be ignored) we think you should know about.

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.

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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.