Every investor in Basler Aktiengesellschaft (ETR:BSL) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are private companies with 54% ownership. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).
Following a 11% increase in the stock price last week, private companies profited the most, but institutions who own 25% stock also stood to gain from the increase.
Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Basler, beginning with the chart below.
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Basler?
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.
Basler already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Basler, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.
XTRA:BSL Earnings and Revenue Growth November 15th 2023
We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Basler. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is Basler Beteiligungs-Gmbh & Co. Kg with 54% of shares outstanding. This implies that they have majority interest control of the future of the company. The second and third largest shareholders are 7-Industries Holding B.V. and Invesco Ltd., with an equal amount of shares to their name at 5.1%. In addition, we found that Dietmar Ley, the CEO has 3.7% of the shares allocated to their name.
While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future.
Insider Ownership Of Basler
The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.
Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group.
The general public-- including retail investors -- own 17% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.
Private Company Ownership
We can see that Private Companies own 54%, of the shares on issue. It might be worth looking deeper into this. If related parties, such as insiders, have an interest in one of these private companies, that should be disclosed in the annual report. Private companies may also have a strategic interest in the company.
Next Steps:
While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. Take risks for example - Basler has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.
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.
