Trade Alert: The Independent Director Of HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTBI), Laura Kendall, Has Just Spent US$95k Buying 59% More Shares

Whilst it may not be a huge deal, we thought it was good to see that the HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTBI) Independent Director, Laura Kendall, recently bought US$95k worth of stock, for US$15.79 per share. While that isn't the hugest buy, it actually boosted their shareholding by 59%, which is good to see.

View our latest analysis for HomeTrust Bancshares

HomeTrust Bancshares Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent purchase by Laura Kendall is the biggest insider purchase of HomeTrust Bancshares shares that we've seen in the last year. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being US$15.81). Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price.

HomeTrust Bancshares insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. Their average price was about US$18.00. I'd consider this a positive as it suggests insiders see value at around the current price. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

HomeTrust Bancshares is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Does HomeTrust Bancshares Boast High Insider Ownership?

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 4.2% of HomeTrust Bancshares shares, worth about US$11m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At HomeTrust Bancshares Tell Us?

It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of HomeTrust Bancshares we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. For example, HomeTrust Bancshares has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit concerning) we think you should know about.

But note: HomeTrust Bancshares may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE 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, but not derivative transactions.

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