Have Insiders Sold Manulife Financial Corporation (TSE:MFC) Shares Recently?

We note that a Manulife Financial Corporation (TSE:MFC) insider, Tin Ku, recently sold CA$24k worth of stock for CA$26.21 per share. While that isn't a lot of money, it was a substantial 54% of their holding, so certainly isn't a good sign.

See our latest analysis for Manulife Financial

Manulife Financial Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when insider Nicole Arnaboldi bought CA$142k worth of shares at a price of CA$21.82 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is CA$26.82. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. While we always like to see insider buying, it's less meaningful if the purchases were made at much lower prices, as the opportunity they saw may have passed. In this case we're pleased to report that the insider bought shares at close to current prices. Nicole Arnaboldi was the only individual insider to buy during the last year.

You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

Manulife Financial is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Does Manulife Financial 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. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. It appears that Manulife Financial insiders own 0.05% of the company, worth about CA$25m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Manulife Financial Insiders?

Our data shows a little more insider selling, but no insider buying, in the last three months. However, the sales are not big enough to concern us at all. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Overall we don't see anything to make us think Manulife Financial insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. 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, Manulife Financial has 2 warning signs (and 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) we think you should know about.

Of course Manulife Financial 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, but not derivative transactions.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.
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