Some CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA) shareholders may be a little concerned to see that the Executive VP & Global Head of Underwriting, Douglas Worman, recently sold a substantial US$1.1m worth of stock at a price of US$40.08 per share. That's a big disposal, and it decreased their holding size by 20%, which is notable but not too bad.

Check out our latest analysis for CNA Financial

CNA Financial Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent sale by Douglas Worman is the biggest insider sale of CNA Financial shares that we've seen in the last year. That means that even when the share price was slightly below the current price of US$40.66, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. As a general rule we consider it to be discouraging when insiders are selling below the current price, because it suggests they were happy with a lower valuation. Please do note, however, that sellers may have a variety of reasons for selling, so we don't know for sure what they think of the stock price. We note that the biggest single sale was only 20%of Douglas Worman's holding.

In the last year CNA Financial insiders didn't buy any company stock. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

I will like CNA 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.

Does CNA Financial Boast High Insider Ownership?

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 0.6% of CNA Financial shares, worth about US$63m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At CNA Financial Tell Us?

Insiders haven't bought CNA Financial 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 it is good to see that CNA Financial is growing earnings. While insiders do own shares, they don't own a heap, and they have been selling. We'd practice some caution before buying! 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. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for CNA Financial 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.