To get a sense of who is truly in control of SHAPE Australia Corporation Limited (ASX:SHA), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. With 48% stake, individual insiders 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.
A quick look at our data suggests that insiders have been buying shares in the company recently. This could signal that stock prices could go up and insiders are here for it.
Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about SHAPE Australia.
What Does The Lack Of Institutional Ownership Tell Us About SHAPE Australia?
Small companies that are not very actively traded often lack institutional investors, but it's less common to see large companies without them.
There could be various reasons why no institutions own shares in a company. Typically, small, newly listed companies don't attract much attention from fund managers, because it would not be possible for large fund managers to build a meaningful position in the company. On the other hand, it's always possible that professional investors are avoiding a company because they don't think it's the best place for their money. Institutional investors may not find the historic growth of the business impressive, or there might be other factors at play. You can see the past revenue performance of SHAPE Australia, for yourself, below.
ASX:SHA Earnings and Revenue Growth December 9th 2024
We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in SHAPE Australia. Our data shows that Biramont Pty Ltd is the largest shareholder with 15% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 12% and 10% of the stock. Additionally, the company's CEO Peter Marix-Evans directly holds 1.8% of the total shares outstanding.
On further inspection, we found that more than half the company's shares are owned by the top 6 shareholders, suggesting that the interests of the larger shareholders are balanced out to an extent by the smaller ones.
Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. There is a little analyst coverage of the stock, but not much. So there is room for it to gain more coverage.
Insider Ownership Of SHAPE Australia
The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. 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.
Our information suggests that insiders maintain a significant holding in SHAPE Australia Corporation Limited. Insiders own AU$115m worth of shares in the AU$237m company. This may suggest that the founders still own a lot of shares. You can click here to see if they have been buying or selling.
General Public Ownership
The general public-- including retail investors -- own 23% 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.
Private Company Ownership
Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 29%, of the company's shares. It's hard to draw any conclusions from this fact alone, so its worth looking into who owns those private companies. Sometimes insiders or other related parties have an interest in shares in a public company through a separate private company.
Next Steps:
It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand SHAPE Australia better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for SHAPE Australia that you should be aware of.
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.
