Have Insiders Sold Hancock Whitney Shares Recently?

We wouldn't blame Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) shareholders if they were a little worried about the fact that John Hairston, the President recently netted about US$1.1m selling shares at an average price of US$59.44. However, it's crucial to note that they remain very much invested in the stock and that sale only reduced their holding by 6.6%.

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The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Hancock Whitney

In fact, the recent sale by John Hairston was the biggest sale of Hancock Whitney shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That means that an insider was selling shares at below the current price (US$60.25). 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. We note that the biggest single sale was only 6.6% of John Hairston's holding.

Insiders in Hancock Whitney didn't buy any shares in 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!

I will like Hancock Whitney 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 Hancock Whitney

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company 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. Hancock Whitney insiders own about US$55m worth of shares. That equates to 1.1% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Hancock Whitney Insiders?

Insiders haven't bought Hancock Whitney 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. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. So we'd only buy after careful consideration. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Hancock Whitney. While conducting our analysis, we found that Hancock Whitney has 1 warning sign and it would be unwise to ignore this.

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.