Many Jackson Financial Inc. (NYSE:JXN) insiders ditched their stock over the past year, which may be of interest to the company's shareholders. Knowing whether insiders are buying is usually more helpful when evaluating insider transactions, as insider selling can have various explanations. However, shareholders should take a deeper look if several insiders are selling stock over a specific time period.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

Jackson Financial Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The Executive VP & COO, Devkumar Ganguly, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$984k worth of shares at a price of US$75.67 each. That means that even when the share price was below the current price of US$99.98, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. 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. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. This single sale was just 12% of Devkumar Ganguly's stake.

In the last twelve months insiders purchased 7.03k shares for US$459k. But they sold 18.50k shares for US$1.5m. Over the last year we saw more insider selling of Jackson Financial shares, than buying. The sellers received a price of around US$80.32, on average. It's not too encouraging to see that insiders have sold at below the current price. Since insiders sell for many reasons, we wouldn't put too much weight on it. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart 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).

Insiders At Jackson Financial Have Sold Stock Recently

We've seen more insider selling than insider buying at Jackson Financial recently. In total, Executive VP & General Counsel Carrie Chelko sold US$502k worth of shares in that time. On the other hand we note Independent Director Russell Noles bought US$59k worth of shares. Because the selling vastly outweighs the buying, we'd say this is a somewhat bearish sign.

Insider Ownership Of Jackson Financial

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Jackson Financial insiders own 1.9% of the company, currently worth about US$145m based on the recent share price. 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 Jackson Financial Insiders?

Unfortunately, there has been more insider selling of Jackson Financial stock, than buying, in the last three months. Zooming out, the longer term picture doesn't give us much comfort. But since Jackson 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. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Jackson Financial. At Simply Wall St, we've found that Jackson Financial has 5 warning signs (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.

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.