Yahoo Finance Hamilton Thorne Ltd.'s (TSE:HTL) largest shareholders are retail investors with 51% ownership, institutions own 33%
Key Insights
Hamilton Thorne's significant retail investors ownership suggests that the key decisions are influenced by shareholders from the larger public
A total of 22 investors have a majority stake in the company with 49% ownership
To get a sense of who is truly in control of Hamilton Thorne Ltd. (TSE:HTL), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are retail investors with 51% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.
And institutions on the other hand have a 33% ownership in the company. Generally speaking, as a company grows, institutions will increase their ownership. Conversely, insiders often decrease their ownership over time.
Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Hamilton Thorne, beginning with the chart below.
See our latest analysis for Hamilton Thorne
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Hamilton Thorne?
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.
Hamilton Thorne already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Hamilton Thorne, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.
Hedge funds don't have many shares in Hamilton Thorne. Daniel Thorne is currently the largest shareholder, with 13% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 12% and 9.7% of the stock.
Our studies suggest that the top 22 shareholders collectively control less than half of the company's shares, meaning that the company's shares are widely disseminated and there is no dominant shareholder.
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. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.
Insider Ownership Of Hamilton Thorne
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.
I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions.
Our most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of Hamilton Thorne Ltd.. Insiders have a CA$34m stake in this CA$208m business. 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 51% of Hamilton Thorne. With this amount of ownership, retail investors can collectively play a role in decisions that affect shareholder returns, such as dividend policies and the appointment of directors. They can also exercise the power to vote on acquisitions or mergers that may not improve profitability.
Next Steps:
It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Hamilton Thorne better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Hamilton Thorne , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.
Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
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.
