Have Insiders Sold Hope Bancorp Shares Recently?

We'd be surprised if Hope Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOPE) shareholders haven't noticed that the Honorary Chairman of the Board, Steven Koh, recently sold US$349k worth of stock at US$10.16 per share. On the bright side, that sale was only 1.0% of their holding, so we doubt it's very meaningful, on its own.

Check out our latest analysis for Hope Bancorp

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Hope Bancorp

In fact, the recent sale by Steven Koh was the biggest sale of Hope Bancorp shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of US$9.94. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. Given that the sale took place at around current prices, it makes us a little cautious but is hardly a major concern.

Insiders in Hope Bancorp didn't buy any shares in the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

I will like Hope Bancorp better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of undervalued and small cap stocks with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Insider Ownership Of Hope Bancorp

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Hope Bancorp insiders own about US$58m worth of shares. That equates to 4.8% 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 Does This Data Suggest About Hope Bancorp Insiders?

Insiders sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. And even if we look at the last year, we didn't see any purchases. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. We'd practice some caution before buying! In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Hope Bancorp. While conducting our analysis, we found that Hope Bancorp has 1 warning sign and it would be unwise to ignore this.

Of course Hope Bancorp 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com