Insiders Trading HALO, ULTA, HES, NVR

By Jonathan Moreland, founder of Insider Insights and author of Profit From Legal Insider Trading.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Which insiders are selling and buying chunks of stocks?

Below are lists of the top 10 mainly open-market insider purchases and sales filed at the Securities and Exchange Commission Thursday, May 17, 2012 as ranked by dollar value. Company executives and directors are in the best position to assess the attractiveness of their firms' shares, and here is how many of them are voting their wallets! Please note, however, that these are factual lists, not buy and sell recommendations. Dollar value is only one metric to assess the importance of an insider transaction.

Halozyme Therapeutics (HALO) Kirk Randal J DIR,BO 1,071,498 7,951,403 Republic Services (RSG) Cascade Investment BO 209,346 5,348,811 Str (STRI) Red Mountain Capital BO 779,802 3,401,793 Autonation (AN) Cascade Investment BO 64,340 2,240,261 Basic Energy Services (BAS) Webster Steven A DIR 175,000 2,046,613 Hess (HES) Von Metzsch Ernst H DIR 20,000 916,760 Steel Excel (SXCL) SPH Group BO 28,200 797,430 Alleghany (Y) Brandon Joseph Patrick VP 1,350 447,971 W P Carey & Co (WPC) Parente Charles E DIR 10,000 432,900 Gse Systems (GVP) NGP Energy Technology II BO 148,261 370,324 Source: Insider Insights

Ulta Salon Cosmetics (ULTA) Heilbronn Charles DIR 8,050,000 652,532,992 Charter Communications (CHTR) Apollo Management Gp BO 191,323 12,542,661 NVR (NVR) Johnson Manuel H DIR 10,000 8,205,800 Validus Holdings (VR) Singh Alok DIR 237,909 7,801,441 NVR (NVR) Saville Paul C CEO 6,900 5,742,870 Bunge (BG) Weisser Alberto CEO,DIR 90,000 5,554,180 Texas Roadhouse (TXRH) Taylor Wayne Kent CB,CEO,BO 188,793 3,424,705 FMC (FMC) Steele Milton PR,PT 21,150 2,204,888 Qlogic (QLGC) Desai Hk CB,DIR 100,000 1,517,250 Grand Canyon Education (LOPE) Richardson Christopher C O 78,489 1,414,320 Source: Insider Insights

Key to Titles: A=Assistant, AI=Affiliated Investor, AO=Accounting Officer, BD=Business Development, BO=Beneficial Owner, CAO=Chief Accounting Officer, CB=Chairman, CCO=Chief Compliance Officer, CEO=Chief Executive Officer, CFO=Chief Financial Officer, CIO=Chief Information Officer, CO=Compliance Officer, COO=Chief Operating Officer, CT=Controller, CTO=Chief Technology Officer, DIR=Director, EVP=Executive Vice President, F=Founder, FO=Financial Officer, GC=General Counsel, HR=Human Resources, IO=Information Officer, IR=Investor Relations, LO=Legal Officer, MD=Managing Director, O=Officer, OO=Operating Officer, PR=President, PT=Partner, REL=Relative of an insider, SEC=Secretary, SH=Shareholder, SO=Sales Officer, TO=Technology Officer, TR=Treasurer, TT=Trustee, VCB=Vice Chairman, VP=Vice President, X=Ex Officer or other title displayed.

Jonathan Moreland is the founder of InsiderInsights.com, which produces a weekly newsletter and offers professional screening and alerting tools to analyze a proprietary, real-time insider data feed. He is also the principal of Insider Asset Management, a registered investment advisor in New York. Mr. Moreland has been analyzing insider data professionally for two decades and has been a contributor to TheStreet.com since 2001. A fundamental analyst with an MBA in finance, Mr. Moreland long ago identified insider data as an excellent first screen to determine where to focus his research efforts. He is quoted frequently in the media for his insider analysis and stock recommendations stemming from it. He is also author of Profit From Legal Insider Trading.

Under no circumstances does the information in this column represent a recommendation to buy or sell stocks. While he cannot provide investment advice or recommendations, Moreland appreciates your feedback; click here to send him an email.