We wouldn't blame Kinsale Capital Group, Inc. (NYSE:KNSL) shareholders if they were a little worried about the fact that James Ritchie, the Independent Director recently netted about US$1.0m selling shares at an average price of US$501. That sale reduced their total holding by 16% which is hardly insignificant, but far from the worst we've seen.

Kinsale Capital Group Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The President, Michael Kehoe, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$1.1m worth of shares at a price of US$383 each. That means that even when the share price was below the current price of US$506, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. We generally consider it a negative if insiders have been selling, especially if they did so below the current price, because it implies that they considered a lower price to be reasonable. 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. This single sale was just 0.3% of Michael Kehoe's stake.

Kinsale Capital Group insiders didn't buy any shares over the last year. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insider Ownership Of Kinsale Capital Group

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. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It's great to see that Kinsale Capital Group insiders own 5.2% of the company, worth about US$601m. 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 Kinsale Capital Group Tell Us?

Insiders haven't bought Kinsale Capital Group stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. But it is good to see that Kinsale Capital Group is growing earnings. The company boasts high insider ownership, but we're a little hesitant, given the history of share sales. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. For example - Kinsale Capital Group has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

Of course Kinsale Capital Group may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality 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.