Today, I will be analyzing Funtastic Limited’s (ASX:FUN) recent ownership structure, an important but not-so-popular subject among individual investors. A company’s ownership structure is often linked to its share performance in both the long- and short-term. Since the same amount of capital coming from an activist institution and a passive mutual fund has different implications on corporate governance, it is a useful exercise to deconstruct XYZ’s shareholder registry. All data provided is as of the most recent financial year end.
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Institutional Ownership
Institutional investors transact in large blocks which can influence the momentum of stock prices, at least in the short-term, especially when there is a low level of public shares available on the market to trade. Generally, an institutional ownership of 9.13%, in the case of FUN, should not concern investors in terms of high stock volatility. But investors should also check whether hedge funds, mostly active investors with a short-term horizon, have a significant stake. They own 12.17% of FUN’s outstanding shares, enough to cause a spike in volatility, at least in the short-term. However, I would also examine the rest of its ownership structure in more detail to determine how the company’s major shareholders can affect its investment case.
Insider Ownership
I find insiders are another important group of stakeholders, who are directly involved in making key decisions related to the use of capital. In essence, insider ownership is more about the alignment of shareholders’ interests with the management. 15.88% ownership of FUN insiders is large enough to make an impact on shareholder returns. In general, this level of insider ownership has negatively affected underperforming (consistently low PE ratio) companies and positively affected the companies that outperform (consistently high PE ratio). It may be interesting to take a look at what company insiders have been doing with their holdings lately. Insider buying may be a sign of upbeat future expectations, however, selling doesn’t necessarily mean the opposite as insiders may be motivated by their personal financial needs.
General Public Ownership
A big stake of 58.01% in FUN is held by the general public. This size of ownership gives retail investors collective power in deciding on major policy decisions such as executive compensation, appointment of directors and acquisitions of businesses. Such level of ownership gives retail investors the power to sway key policy decisions such as board composition, executive compensation, and potential acquisitions. This is a positive sign for an investor who wants to be involved in key decision-making of the company.