Yahoo Finance With 41% ownership, Grenke AG (ETR:GLJ) insiders have a lot riding on the company's future
To get a sense of who is truly in control of Grenke AG (ETR:GLJ), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 41% to be precise, is individual insiders. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.
So it follows, every decision made by insiders of Grenke regarding the company's future would be crucial to them.
In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Grenke.
Check out our latest analysis for Grenke
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Grenke?
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.
As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Grenke. 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 Grenke, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.
Hedge funds don't have many shares in Grenke. Wolfgang Grenke is currently the largest shareholder, with 41% of shares outstanding. With 9.4% and 3.2% of the shares outstanding respectively, Universal-Investment-Gesellschaft Mit BeschrÄNkter Haftung and Shareholder Value Management AG are the second and third largest shareholders.
After doing some more digging, we found that the top 2 shareholders collectively control more than half of the company's shares, implying that they have considerable power to influence the company's decisions.
Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.
Insider Ownership Of Grenke
The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. 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 information suggests that insiders maintain a significant holding in Grenke AG. Insiders have a €392m stake in this €960m 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
With a 37% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Grenke. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.
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. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Grenke (at least 1 which doesn't sit too well with us) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.
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.
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