Institutions' substantial holdings in New Oriental Education & Technology Group implies that they have significant influence over the company's share price
50% of the business is held by the top 11 shareholders
To get a sense of who is truly in control of New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (NYSE:EDU), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. With 67% stake, institutions possess the maximum shares in the company. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.
Since institutional have access to huge amounts of capital, their market moves tend to receive a lot of scrutiny by retail or individual investors. Therefore, a good portion of institutional money invested in the company is usually a huge vote of confidence on its future.
Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of New Oriental Education & Technology Group, beginning with the chart below.
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About New Oriental Education & Technology Group?
Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.
New Oriental Education & Technology Group already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. 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 New Oriental Education & Technology Group's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.
NYSE:EDU Earnings and Revenue Growth September 13th 2024
Institutional investors own over 50% of the company, so together than can probably strongly influence board decisions. We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in New Oriental Education & Technology Group. Because actions speak louder than words, we consider it a good sign when insiders own a significant stake in a company. In New Oriental Education & Technology Group's case, its Top Key Executive, Minhong Yu, is the largest shareholder, holding 12% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 7.2% and 5.6% of the stock.
Looking at the shareholder registry, we can see that 50% of the ownership is controlled by the top 11 shareholders, meaning that no single shareholder has a majority interest in the ownership.
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 New Oriental Education & Technology Group
While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. 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.
Our most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc.. It is very interesting to see that insiders have a meaningful US$1.2b stake in this US$10b business. It is good to see this level of investment. You can check here to see if those insiders have been buying recently.
General Public Ownership
With a 15% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over New Oriental Education & Technology Group. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.
Next Steps:
While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important.
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.
