If you want to know who really controls Pro Medicus Limited (ASX:PME), 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 49% to be precise, is individual insiders. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.
Insiders are at the top of the company's shareholdings despite selling some shares recently. As a result, they were also the biggest winners as market cap hit AU$30b last week.
Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Pro Medicus.
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Pro Medicus?
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 Pro Medicus. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. 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 Pro Medicus' earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.
ASX:PME Earnings and Revenue Growth February 5th 2025
Pro Medicus is not owned by hedge funds. With a 23% stake, CEO Sam Hupert is the largest shareholder. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 23% and 2.8% of the stock. Interestingly, the second-largest shareholder, Anthony Hall is also Top Key Executive, again, pointing towards strong insider ownership amongst the company's top shareholders.
To make our study more interesting, we found that the top 4 shareholders control more than half of the company which implies that this group has considerable sway over the company's decision-making.
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 Pro Medicus
The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. 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 Pro Medicus Limited. It has a market capitalization of just AU$30b, and insiders have AU$15b worth of shares in their own names. That's quite significant. 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-- including retail investors -- own 37% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. 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.
Next Steps:
It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Pro Medicus better, we need to consider many other factors. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Pro Medicus (of which 1 can't be ignored!) you should know about.
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.
