Advertisement
Canada markets closed
  • S&P/TSX

    21,947.41
    +124.19 (+0.57%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,127.79
    +63.59 (+1.26%)
     
  • DOW

    38,675.68
    +450.02 (+1.18%)
     
  • CAD/USD

    0.7308
    -0.0005 (-0.07%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    77.99
    -0.96 (-1.22%)
     
  • Bitcoin CAD

    85,829.39
    +4,196.70 (+5.14%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    1,359.39
    +82.41 (+6.45%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,310.10
    +0.50 (+0.02%)
     
  • RUSSELL 2000

    2,035.72
    +19.61 (+0.97%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.5000
    -0.0710 (-1.55%)
     
  • NASDAQ

    16,156.33
    +315.37 (+1.99%)
     
  • VOLATILITY

    13.49
    -1.19 (-8.11%)
     
  • FTSE

    8,213.49
    +41.34 (+0.51%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    38,236.07
    -37.98 (-0.10%)
     
  • CAD/EUR

    0.6787
    -0.0030 (-0.44%)
     

How Much Of Atlas Arteria Limited (ASX:ALX) Do Institutions Own?

If you want to know who really controls Atlas Arteria Limited (ASX:ALX), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. Large companies usually have institutions as shareholders, and we usually see insiders owning shares in smaller companies. Companies that used to be publicly owned tend to have lower insider ownership.

Atlas Arteria has a market capitalization of AU$7.4b, so it's too big to fly under the radar. We'd expect to see both institutions and retail investors owning a portion of the company. Our analysis of the ownership of the company, below, shows that institutional investors have bought into the company. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Atlas Arteria.

See our latest analysis for Atlas Arteria

ownership-breakdown
ownership-breakdown

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Atlas Arteria?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

ADVERTISEMENT

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Atlas Arteria. 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. 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 Atlas Arteria's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

earnings-and-revenue-growth
earnings-and-revenue-growth

Since institutional investors own more than half the issued stock, the board will likely have to pay attention to their preferences. Hedge funds don't have many shares in Atlas Arteria. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is Lazard Asset Management LLC with 10% of shares outstanding. IFM Investors Pty Ltd is the second largest shareholder owning 10.0% of common stock, and State Street Global Advisors, Inc. holds about 6.6% of the company stock.

On further inspection, we found that more than half the company's shares are owned by the top 8 shareholders, suggesting that the interests of the larger shareholders are balanced out to an extent by the smaller ones.

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. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future.

Insider Ownership Of Atlas Arteria

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. 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.

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 data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Atlas Arteria Limited in their own names. Keep in mind that it's a big company, and the insiders own AU$5.7m worth of shares. The absolute value might be more important than the proportional share. It is always good to see at least some insider ownership, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 11% stake in Atlas Arteria. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Atlas Arteria (1 is significant) that you should be aware of.

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter 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.

Join A Paid User Research Session
You’ll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here