Many Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGI) 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, if numerous insiders are selling, shareholders should investigate more.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Selective Insurance Group

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the CEO, President & Chairman, John Marchioni, sold US$2.1m worth of shares at a price of US$102 per share. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. The silver lining is that this sell-down took place above the latest price (US$88.94). So it may not shed much light on insider confidence at current levels. Notably John Marchioni was also the biggest buyer, having purchased US$471k worth of shares.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 5.40k shares worth US$471k. But insiders sold 29.41k shares worth US$3.0m. Over the last year we saw more insider selling of Selective Insurance Group shares, than buying. 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!

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Insiders At Selective Insurance Group Have Bought Stock Recently

Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider buying at Selective Insurance Group. Overall, two insiders shelled out US$372k for shares in the company -- and none sold. This is a positive in our book as it implies some confidence.

Does Selective Insurance Group Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 1.5% of Selective Insurance Group shares, worth about US$81m. 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 Selective Insurance Group Insiders?

The recent insider purchases are heartening. But we can't say the same for the transactions over the last 12 months. We don't take much heart from transactions by Selective Insurance Group insiders over the last year. But they own a reasonable amount of the company, and there was some buying recently. So they seem pretty well aligned, overall. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in Selective Insurance Group, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

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.