Have Insiders Sold Manulife Financial Shares Recently?

Anyone interested in Manulife Financial Corporation (TSE:MFC) should probably be aware that a company insider, Kenneth Ross, recently divested CA$146k worth of shares in the company, at an average price of CA$45.23 each. In particular, we note that the sale equated to a 60% reduction in their position size, which doesn't exactly instill confidence.

View our latest analysis for Manulife Financial

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Manulife Financial

The President, Roy Gori, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for CA$2.0m worth of shares at a price of CA$46.07 each. That means that an insider was selling shares at around the current price of CA$42.08. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. We note that this sale took place at around the current price, so it isn't a major concern, though it's hardly a good sign.

Manulife Financial 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. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: Most of them are flying under the radar).

Insider Ownership

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Manulife Financial insiders own about CA$72m worth of shares. That equates to 0.1% of the company. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

So What Do The Manulife Financial Insider Transactions Indicate?

An insider sold Manulife Financial shares recently, but they didn't buy any. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. On the plus side, Manulife Financial makes money, and is growing profits. Insider ownership isn't particularly high, so this analysis makes us cautious about the company. So we'd only buy after careful consideration. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in Manulife Financial, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

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.