Advertisement
UK markets closed
  • NIKKEI 225

    38,460.08
    +907.92 (+2.42%)
     
  • HANG SENG

    17,201.27
    +372.34 (+2.21%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    82.98
    -0.38 (-0.46%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,336.40
    -5.70 (-0.24%)
     
  • DOW

    38,366.00
    -137.69 (-0.36%)
     
  • Bitcoin GBP

    52,096.36
    -1,534.83 (-2.86%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    1,397.07
    -27.03 (-1.90%)
     
  • NASDAQ Composite

    15,659.54
    -37.10 (-0.24%)
     
  • UK FTSE All Share

    4,374.06
    -4.69 (-0.11%)
     

What You Need To Know About Omega Diagnostics Group PLC's (LON:ODX) Investor Composition

A look at the shareholders of Omega Diagnostics Group PLC (LON:ODX) can tell us which group is most powerful. Generally speaking, as a company grows, institutions will increase their ownership. Conversely, insiders often decrease their ownership over time. We also tend to see lower insider ownership in companies that were previously publicly owned.

With a market capitalization of UK£97m, Omega Diagnostics Group is a small cap stock, so it might not be well known by many institutional investors. In the chart below, we can see 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 Omega Diagnostics Group.

Check out our latest analysis for Omega Diagnostics Group

ownership-breakdown
ownership-breakdown

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Omega Diagnostics Group?

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

We can see that Omega Diagnostics Group does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. 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 Omega Diagnostics Group'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

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Omega Diagnostics Group. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is HBOS Investment Fund Managers Limited with 11% of shares outstanding. With 7.7% and 5.1% of the shares outstanding respectively, A J Bell Holdings Limited, Asset Management Arm and Barclays Bank PLC, Wealth and Investment Management Division are the second and third largest shareholders.

On studying our ownership data, we found that 25 of the top shareholders collectively own less than 50% of the share register, implying that no single individual has a majority interest.

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. As far I can tell there isn't analyst coverage of the company, so it is probably flying under the radar.

Insider Ownership Of Omega Diagnostics Group

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.

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.

We can see that insiders own shares in Omega Diagnostics Group PLC. It has a market capitalization of just UK£97m, and insiders have UK£1.2m worth of shares, in their own names. Some would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board, though I generally prefer to see bigger insider holdings. But it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public holds a 49% stake in Omega Diagnostics Group. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Omega Diagnostics Group better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 4 warning signs for Omega Diagnostics Group (2 don't sit too well with us) that you should be aware of.

If you would prefer check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, backed by strong financial data.

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.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.