Over the past year, many U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) insiders sold a significant stake in the company which may have piqued investors' interest.   Knowing whether insiders are buying is usually more helpful when evaluating insider transactions, as insider selling can have various explanations.  However, when multiple insiders sell stock over a specific duration, shareholders should take notice as that could possibly be a red flag.    

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing,  we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At U.S. Bancorp

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Chief Administration Officer & Vice Chair, Terrance Dolan, sold US$1.0m worth of shares at a price of US$39.75 per share.    That means that an insider was selling shares at  slightly  below the current price (US$40.99).  When an insider sells below the current price, it suggests that they considered that lower price to be fair. That makes us wonder what they think of the (higher) recent valuation.  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.   This single sale was just 13% of Terrance Dolan's stake.    

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$2.1m for 68.36k shares.  On the other hand they divested 84.67k shares, for US$3.5m.     All up, insiders sold more shares in U.S. Bancorp than they bought, over 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!

NYSE:USB Insider Trading Volume April 26th 2024

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Does U.S. Bancorp 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.  I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company.   It's great to see that U.S. Bancorp insiders own 0.2% of the company, worth about US$147m.  Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.  

So What Does This Data Suggest About U.S. Bancorp Insiders?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much.      It's great to see high levels of insider ownership, but looking back over the last year, we don't gain confidence from the U.S. Bancorp insiders selling.       If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

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.