Yahoo Finance Australian Agricultural Company Limited (ASX:AAC) boasts of bullish insider sentiment with 70% ownership and they have been buying lately
Every investor in Australian Agricultural Company Limited (ASX:AAC) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 70% to be precise, is individual insiders. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.
And looking at our data, we can see that insiders have bought shares recently. This might indicate that they expect share prices to rise in the near future.
Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Australian Agricultural.
See our latest analysis for Australian Agricultural
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Australian Agricultural?
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.
Australian Agricultural already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. 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. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Australian Agricultural's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.
Australian Agricultural is not owned by hedge funds. Our data shows that Bryan Glinton is the largest shareholder with 50% of shares outstanding. This implies that they have majority interest control of the future of the company. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 18% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 2.5% by the third-largest shareholder.
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 is a little analyst coverage of the stock, but not much. So there is room for it to gain more coverage.
Insider Ownership Of Australian Agricultural
While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. 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 most recent data indicates that insiders own the majority of Australian Agricultural Company Limited. This means they can collectively make decisions for the company. Given it has a market cap of AU$1.1b, that means they have AU$734m worth of shares. Most would argue this is a positive, showing strong alignment with shareholders. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.
General Public Ownership
The general public-- including retail investors -- own 21% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. 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.
Next Steps:
While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Australian Agricultural you should be aware of, and 1 of them is significant.
If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.
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.
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