Do Institutions Own Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) Shares?

Simply Wall St

Thu, Feb 4, 2021, 11:39 PM 4 min read

The big shareholder groups in Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) have power over the company. Insiders often own a large chunk of younger, smaller, companies while huge companies tend to have institutions as shareholders. We also tend to see lower insider ownership in companies that were previously publicly owned.

With a market capitalization of US$1.3b, Cerus is a decent size, so it is probably on the radar of institutional investors. Our analysis of the ownership of the company, below, shows that institutional investors have bought into the company. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about Cerus.

Check out our latest analysis for Cerus

ownership-breakdown — NasdaqGM:CERS Ownership Breakdown February 5th 2021

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Cerus?

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.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Cerus. 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 Cerus' earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

earnings-and-revenue-growth — NasdaqGM:CERS Earnings and Revenue Growth February 5th 2021

Investors should note that institutions actually own more than half the company, so they can collectively wield significant power. It looks like hedge funds own 8.2% of Cerus shares. That catches my attention because hedge funds sometimes try to influence management, or bring about changes that will create near term value for shareholders. ARK Investment Management LLC is currently the largest shareholder, with 18% of shares outstanding. The second and third largest shareholders are Baker Bros. Advisors LP and BlackRock, Inc., with an equal amount of shares to their name at 8.2%. Additionally, the company's CEO William Greenman directly holds 0.6% of the total shares outstanding.

We did some more digging and found that 6 of the top shareholders account for roughly 52% of the register, implying that along with larger shareholders, there are a few smaller shareholders, thereby balancing out each others interests somewhat.

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 Cerus

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves.

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.

Shareholders would probably be interested to learn that insiders own shares in Cerus Corporation. It is a pretty big company, so it is generally a positive to see some potentially meaningful alignment. In this case, they own around US$27m worth of shares (at current prices). It is good to see this level of investment by insiders. You can check here to see if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

The general public, with a 19% stake in the company, will not 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 Cerus better, we need to consider many other factors. Take risks for example - Cerus has 4 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this free report 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.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.

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