Yahoo Finance Institutions profited after Aehr Test Systems' (NASDAQ:AEHR) market cap rose US$78m last week butindividual investors profited the most
A look at the shareholders of Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR) can tell us which group is most powerful. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are individual investors with 59% ownership. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).
Following a 22% increase in the stock price last week, individual investors profited the most, but institutions who own 27% stock also stood to gain from the increase.
Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Aehr Test Systems.
View our latest analysis for Aehr Test Systems
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Aehr Test Systems?
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 Aehr Test Systems 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. 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 Aehr Test Systems' historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.
It would appear that 6.0% of Aehr Test Systems shares are controlled by hedge funds. That's interesting, because hedge funds can be quite active and activist. Many look for medium term catalysts that will drive the share price higher. Our data shows that AWM Investment Company Inc is the largest shareholder with 6.0% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 4.9% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 3.8% by the third-largest shareholder. In addition, we found that Gayn Erickson, the CEO has 1.9% of the shares allocated to their name.
Our studies suggest that the top 25 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. While there is some analyst coverage, the company is probably not widely covered. So it could gain more attention, down the track.
Insider Ownership Of Aehr Test Systems
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. 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.
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 Aehr Test Systems. It has a market capitalization of just US$437m, and insiders have US$37m worth of shares, in their own names. Some would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board. But it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.
General Public Ownership
The general public -- including retail investors -- own 59% of Aehr Test Systems. 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:
I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for Aehr Test Systems you should be aware of, and 1 of them is a bit unpleasant.
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.
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