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The considerable ownership by retail investors in Linamar indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy
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A total of 13 investors have a majority stake in the company with 50% ownership
Our free stock report includes 3 warning signs investors should be aware of before investing in Linamar. Read for free now.
A look at the shareholders of Linamar Corporation (TSE:LNR) can tell us which group is most powerful. With 43% stake, retail investors possess the maximum shares in the company. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).
While retail investors were the group that benefitted the most from last week’s CA$117m market cap gain, insiders too had a 35% share in those profits.
In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Linamar.
Check out our latest analysis for Linamar
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 Linamar 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. 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 Linamar’s earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.
Linamar is not owned by hedge funds. Our data suggests that Linda Hasenfratz, who is also the company’s Top Key Executive, holds the most number of shares at 34%. When an insider holds a sizeable amount of a company’s stock, investors consider it as a positive sign because it suggests that insiders are willing to have their wealth tied up in the future of the company. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 3.7% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 2.7% by the third-largest shareholder.
After doing some more digging, we found that the top 13 have the combined ownership of 50% in the company, suggesting that no single shareholder has significant control over the company.
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.
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.
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.
Our most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of Linamar Corporation. It is very interesting to see that insiders have a meaningful CA$1.1b stake in this CA$3.0b business. Most would be pleased to see the board is investing alongside them. You may wish to access this free chart showing recent trading by insiders.
With a 43% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Linamar. 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.
It’s always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Linamar better, we need to consider many other factors. Case in point: We’ve spotted 3 warning signs for Linamar you should be aware of.
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.
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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.