Although Fulton Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:FULT) shareholders have enjoyed a great week with the stock up 11%, insiders who sold stock over the past year haven't fared as well. The return on their investment would have been much higher had they held on to their stock.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

Check out our latest analysis for Fulton Financial

Fulton Financial Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The Independent Director, Steven Etter, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$335k worth of shares at a price of US$18.61 each. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. It's of some comfort that this sale was conducted at a price well above the current share price, which is US$14.15. So it may not shed much light on insider confidence at current levels.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 28.16k shares worth US$298k. But they sold 18.00k shares for US$335k. Over the last year we saw more insider selling of Fulton Financial shares, than buying. 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!

I will like Fulton Financial better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Insider Ownership

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. Insiders own 1.2% of Fulton Financial shares, worth about US$27m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Do The Fulton Financial Insider Transactions Indicate?

The fact that there have been no Fulton Financial insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. Our analysis of Fulton Financial insider transactions leaves us cautious. But it's good to see that insiders own shares in the company. 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. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 1 warning sign with Fulton Financial and understanding it should be part of your investment process.

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.