Yahoo Finance While individual investors own 34% of Lesaka Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:LSAK), private equity firms are its largest shareholders with 37% ownership
A look at the shareholders of Lesaka Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:LSAK) can tell us which group is most powerful. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are private equity firms with 37% ownership. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).
And individual investors on the other hand have a 34% ownership in the company.
Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Lesaka Technologies.
View our latest analysis for Lesaka Technologies
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Lesaka Technologies?
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 Lesaka Technologies. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. 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 Lesaka Technologies' earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.
We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Lesaka Technologies. Value Capital Partners is currently the largest shareholder, with 25% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 12% and 8.4%, of the shares outstanding, respectively. In addition, we found that Christopher Meyer, the CEO has 1.1% of the shares allocated to their name.
To make our study more interesting, we found that the top 4 shareholders control more than half of the company which implies that this group has considerable sway over the company's decision-making.
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 is some analyst coverage of the stock, but it could still become more well known, with time.
Insider Ownership Of Lesaka Technologies
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.
We can see that insiders own shares in Lesaka Technologies, Inc.. As individuals, the insiders collectively own US$5.8m worth of the US$241m company. Some would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board. But it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.
General Public Ownership
The general public-- including retail investors -- own 34% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. 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.
Private Equity Ownership
Private equity firms hold a 37% stake in Lesaka Technologies. This suggests they can be influential in key policy decisions. Sometimes we see private equity stick around for the long term, but generally speaking they have a shorter investment horizon and -- as the name suggests -- don't invest in public companies much. After some time they may look to sell and redeploy capital elsewhere.
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. Be aware that Lesaka Technologies is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...
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.
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.
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