Yahoo Finance Institutional investors may overlook Caesarstone Ltd.'s (NASDAQ:CSTE) recent US$21m market cap drop as long-term gains remain positive
Key Insights
Given the large stake in the stock by institutions, Caesarstone's stock price might be vulnerable to their trading decisions
A total of 3 investors have a majority stake in the company with 52% ownership
Every investor in Caesarstone Ltd. (NASDAQ:CSTE) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are institutions with 36% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.
Losing money on investments is something no shareholder enjoys, least of all institutional investors who saw their holdings value drop by 10% last week. Still, the 55% one-year gains may have helped mitigate their overall losses. But they would probably be wary of future losses.
Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Caesarstone.
See our latest analysis for Caesarstone
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Caesarstone?
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.
We can see that Caesarstone does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. 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 Caesarstone, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.
Hedge funds don't have many shares in Caesarstone. The company's largest shareholder is Kibbutz Sdot Yam, with ownership of 30%. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 11% and 10% of the stock. Ariel Halperin, who is the third-largest shareholder, also happens to hold the title of Chairman of the Board.
A more detailed study of the shareholder registry showed us that 3 of the top shareholders have a considerable amount of ownership in the company, via their 52% stake.
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 Caesarstone
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.
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 Caesarstone Ltd.. It has a market capitalization of just US$188m, and insiders have US$20m worth of shares in their own names. 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 24% 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.
Private Company Ownership
We can see that Private Companies own 30%, of the shares on issue. It might be worth looking deeper into this. If related parties, such as insiders, have an interest in one of these private companies, that should be disclosed in the annual report. Private companies may also have a strategic interest in the company.
Next Steps:
It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Caesarstone better, we need to consider many other factors.
I always like to check for a history of revenue growth. You can too, by accessing this free chart of historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph.
If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this free report on analyst forecasts.
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.
