The considerable ownership by public companies in Great-West Lifeco indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy
Power Corporation of Canada owns 70% of the company
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A look at the shareholders of Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO) can tell us which group is most powerful. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are public companies with 70% ownership. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).
Meanwhile, individual investors make up 18% of the company’s shareholders.
Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Great-West Lifeco.
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Great-West Lifeco?
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.
Great-West Lifeco 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. 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 Great-West Lifeco's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.
TSX:GWO Earnings and Revenue Growth April 28th 2025
We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Great-West Lifeco. Our data shows that Power Corporation of Canada is the largest shareholder with 70% of shares outstanding. With such a huge stake in the ownership, we infer that they have significant control of the future of the company. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 4.3% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 1.3% by the third-largest shareholder.
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 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 Great-West Lifeco
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.
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.
Our most recent data indicates that insiders own less than 1% of Great-West Lifeco Inc.. Being so large, we would not expect insiders to own a large proportion of the stock. Collectively, they own CA$47m of stock. In this sort of situation, it can be more interesting to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.
General Public Ownership
The general public-- including retail investors -- own 18% 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.
Public Company Ownership
We can see that public companies hold 70% of the Great-West Lifeco shares on issue. We can't be certain but it is quite possible this is a strategic stake. The businesses may be similar, or work together.
Next Steps:
It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Great-West Lifeco better, we need to consider many other factors.
If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this freereport on analyst forecasts.
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.
