Following a 83% decline over last year, recent gains may please Lumen Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:LUMN) institutional owners

Unlock stock picks and a broker-level newsfeed that powers Wall Street.

Simply Wall St

Sat, Sep 16, 2023, 7:48 AM 4 min read

A look at the shareholders of Lumen Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:LUMN) can tell us which group is most powerful. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 71% to be precise, is institutions. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

Last week's US$121m market cap gain would probably be appreciated by institutional investors, especially after a year of 83% losses.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Lumen Technologies, beginning with the chart below.

See our latest analysis for Lumen Technologies

ownership-breakdown — NYSE:LUMN Ownership Breakdown September 16th 2023

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Lumen Technologies?

Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices.

We can see that Lumen Technologies does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. 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. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Lumen Technologies' historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

earnings-and-revenue-growth — NYSE:LUMN Earnings and Revenue Growth September 16th 2023

Institutional investors own over 50% of the company, so together than can probably strongly influence board decisions. Lumen Technologies is not owned by hedge funds. BlackRock, Inc. is currently the company's largest shareholder with 14% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 11% and 5.0%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

A closer look at our ownership figures suggests that the top 16 shareholders have a combined ownership of 51% implying that no single shareholder has a majority.

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. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Lumen Technologies

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.

I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions.

Shareholders would probably be interested to learn that insiders own shares in Lumen Technologies, Inc.. The insiders have a meaningful stake worth US$25m. Most would see this as a real positive. Most would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board. Still, it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

With a 27% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Lumen Technologies. 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 Lumen Technologies better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Lumen Technologies you should know about.

If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.