Yahoo Finance While institutions own 31% of SBM Offshore N.V. (AMS:SBMO), individual investors are its largest shareholders with 36% ownership
A look at the shareholders of SBM Offshore N.V. (AMS:SBMO) can tell us which group is most powerful. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 36% to be precise, is individual investors. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).
Institutions, on the other hand, account for 31% of the company's stockholders. Institutions often own shares in more established companies, while it's not unusual to see insiders own a fair bit of smaller companies.
Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of SBM Offshore, beginning with the chart below.
Check out our latest analysis for SBM Offshore
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About SBM Offshore?
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.
SBM Offshore already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. 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 SBM Offshore's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.
It looks like hedge funds own 11% of SBM Offshore shares. That's interesting, because hedge funds can be quite active and activist. Many look for medium term catalysts that will drive the share price higher. Our data shows that HAL Investments B.V. is the largest shareholder with 21% of shares outstanding. Parvus Asset Management Europe Limited is the second largest shareholder owning 11% of common stock, and Dimensional Fund Advisors LP holds about 3.2% of the company stock. Furthermore, CEO Bruno Y. Chabas is the owner of 0.7% of the company's shares.
We also observed that the top 9 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. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.
Insider Ownership Of SBM Offshore
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.
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 most recent data indicates that insiders own some shares in SBM Offshore N.V.. The insiders have a meaningful stake worth €38m. Most would see this as a real positive. Most would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board. Still, it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.
General Public Ownership
With a 36% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over SBM Offshore. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.
Private Equity Ownership
Private equity firms hold a 21% stake in SBM Offshore. This suggests they can be influential in key policy decisions. Some might like this, because private equity are sometimes activists who hold management accountable. But other times, private equity is selling out, having taking the company public.
Next Steps:
It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand SBM Offshore better, we need to consider many other factors. Be aware that SBM Offshore is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those is a bit unpleasant...
Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
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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