If you want to know who really controls Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX:CMM), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 46% to be precise, is institutions. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).
Institutional investors was the group most impacted after the company's market cap fell to AU$2.1b last week. However, the 29% one-year return to shareholders might have softened the blow. We would assume however, that they would be on the lookout for weakness in the future.
Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Capricorn Metals.
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Capricorn Metals?
Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.
As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Capricorn Metals. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Capricorn Metals' earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.
Capricorn Metals is not owned by hedge funds. Van Eck Associates Corporation is currently the largest shareholder, with 9.2% of shares outstanding. With 6.7% and 5.1% of the shares outstanding respectively, Paradice Investment Management Pty Ltd. and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. are the second and third largest shareholders. Furthermore, CEO Kim Massey is the owner of 0.6% of the company's shares.
Looking at the shareholder registry, we can see that 51% of the ownership is controlled by the top 16 shareholders, meaning that no single shareholder has a majority interest in the ownership.
While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.
Insider Ownership Of Capricorn Metals
While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.
Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.
It seems insiders own a significant proportion of Capricorn Metals Ltd. Insiders own AU$252m worth of shares in the AU$2.1b company. That's quite meaningful. Most would say this shows a good degree of alignment with shareholders, especially in a company of this size. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.
General Public Ownership
The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 36% stake in Capricorn Metals. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.
Private Company Ownership
Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 5.8%, of the company's shares. It's hard to draw any conclusions from this fact alone, so its worth looking into who owns those private companies. Sometimes insiders or other related parties have an interest in shares in a public company through a separate private company.
Next Steps:
It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Capricorn Metals better, we need to consider many other factors.
NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.
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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.