In the last year, many U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) insiders sold a substantial stake in the company which may have sparked shareholders' attention. When evaluating insider transactions, knowing whether insiders are buying is usually more beneficial than knowing whether they are selling, as the latter can be open to many interpretations. However, shareholders should take a deeper look if several insiders are selling stock over a specific time period.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At U.S. Bancorp

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the Chief Administration Officer & Vice Chair, Terrance Dolan, for US$1.0m worth of shares, at about US$45.04 per share. So what is clear is that an insider saw fit to sell at around the current price of US$42.07. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold 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).

Over the last year we saw more insider selling of U.S. Bancorp shares, than buying. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

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

Insiders At U.S. Bancorp Have Bought Stock Recently

It's good to see that U.S. Bancorp insiders have made notable investments in the company's shares. We can see that insider Aleem Gillani paid US$450k for shares in the company. No-one sold. This makes one think the business has some good points.

Insider Ownership Of U.S. Bancorp

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It's great to see that U.S. Bancorp insiders own 0.2% of the company, worth about US$130m. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At U.S. Bancorp Tell Us?

The recent insider purchase is heartening. But we can't say the same for the transactions over the last 12 months. Overall, we'd prefer see a more sustained buying from directors, but with a significant insider holding and more recent purchases, U.S. Bancorp insiders are reasonably well aligned, and optimistic for the future. Therefore, you should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for U.S. Bancorp.

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.

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.