Significant control over Wilmar International by private companies implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions
A total of 3 investors have a majority stake in the company with 57% ownership
Every investor in Wilmar International Limited (SGX:F34) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. With 42% stake, private companies possess the maximum shares in the company. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).
As a result, private companies as a group endured the highest losses last week after market cap fell by S$812m.
Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Wilmar International, beginning with the chart below.
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Wilmar International?
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.
We can see that Wilmar International does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. 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 Wilmar International's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.
SGX:F34 Earnings and Revenue Growth April 14th 2025
Wilmar International is not owned by hedge funds. The Kuok Group is currently the company's largest shareholder with 27% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 22% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 7.2% by the third-largest shareholder. Khoon Hong Kuok, who is the third-largest shareholder, also happens to hold the title of Chairman of the Board.
After doing some more digging, we found that the top 3 shareholders collectively control more than half of the company's shares, implying that they have considerable power to influence the company's decisions.
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 Wilmar International
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. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.
Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group.
We can see that insiders own shares in Wilmar International Limited. Insiders own S$1.4b worth of shares (at current prices). we sometimes take an interest in whether they have been buying or selling.
General Public Ownership
With a 21% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Wilmar International. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.
Private Company Ownership
Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 42%, of the company's shares. Private companies may be related parties. Sometimes insiders have an interest in a public company through a holding in a private company, rather than in their own capacity as an individual. While it's hard to draw any broad stroke conclusions, it is worth noting as an area for further research.
Public Company Ownership
We can see that public companies hold 22% of the Wilmar International 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.
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.
