Have Insiders Sold HBT Financial Shares Recently?

We'd be surprised if HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) shareholders haven't noticed that the Executive Chairman, Fred Drake, recently sold US$369k worth of stock at US$24.52 per share. However, the silver lining is that the sale only reduced their total holding by 0.09%, so we're hesitant to read anything much into it, on its own.

View our latest analysis for HBT Financial

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At HBT Financial

Notably, that recent sale by Fred Drake is the biggest insider sale of HBT Financial shares that we've seen in the last year. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of US$24.32. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. In this case, the big sale took place at around the current price, so it's not too bad (but it's still not a positive).

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$344k for 18.17k shares. On the other hand they divested 61.61k shares, for US$1.5m. Over the last year we saw more insider selling of HBT Financial shares, than buying. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

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Insider Ownership Of HBT Financial

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. HBT Financial insiders own 60% of the company, currently worth about US$459m based on the recent share price. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About HBT Financial Insiders?

An insider sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. And our longer term analysis of insider transactions didn't bring confidence, either. But since HBT Financial is profitable and growing, we're not too worried by this. The company boasts high insider ownership, but we're a little hesitant, given the history of share sales. While it's good to be aware of 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 - HBT Financial has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

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.