Yahoo Finance Spectra Systems Corporation (LON:SPSY) most popular amongst retail investors who own 44% of the shares, institutions hold 33%
Key Insights
The considerable ownership by retail investors in Spectra Systems indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy
The top 8 shareholders own 52% of the company
If you want to know who really controls Spectra Systems Corporation (LON:SPSY), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. With 44% stake, retail investors possess the maximum shares in the company. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.
Institutions, on the other hand, account for 33% of the company's stockholders. Institutions will often hold stock in bigger companies, and we expect to see insiders owning a noticeable percentage of the smaller ones.
Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Spectra Systems, beginning with the chart below.
View our latest analysis for Spectra Systems
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Spectra Systems?
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.
Spectra Systems already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. 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 Spectra Systems' historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.
Spectra Systems is not owned by hedge funds. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is Nicholas Slater with 9.8% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 9.6% and 8.7%, of the shares outstanding, respectively. Furthermore, CEO Nabil Lawandy is the owner of 4.7% of the company's shares.
We also observed that the top 8 shareholders account for more than half of the share register, with a few smaller shareholders to balance the interests of the larger ones to a certain extent.
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. 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 Spectra 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. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.
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 information suggests that insiders maintain a significant holding in Spectra Systems Corporation. Insiders have a UK£25m stake in this UK£106m business. It is great to see insiders so invested in the business. It might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying recently.
General Public Ownership
The general public-- including retail investors -- own 44% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.
Next Steps:
It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Spectra Systems better, we need to consider many other factors. Be aware that Spectra Systems is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those can't be ignored...
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.
