Yahoo Finance While private equity firms own 45% of Singapore Airlines Limited (SGX:C6L), individual investors are its largest shareholders with 48% ownership
Key Insights
The considerable ownership by individual investors in Singapore Airlines indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy
50% of the business is held by the top 16 shareholders
Analyst forecasts along with ownership data serve to give a strong idea about prospects for a business
To get a sense of who is truly in control of Singapore Airlines Limited (SGX:C6L), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. We can see that individual investors own the lion's share in the company with 48% ownership. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).
Private equity firms, on the other hand, account for 45% of the company's stockholders.
In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Singapore Airlines.
View our latest analysis for Singapore Airlines
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Singapore Airlines?
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.
Singapore Airlines 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 Singapore Airlines' historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.
Hedge funds don't have many shares in Singapore Airlines. Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited is currently the company's largest shareholder with 45% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 1.5% and 1.2% of the stock.
Looking at the shareholder registry, we can see that 50% of the ownership is controlled by the top 16 shareholders, meaning that no single shareholder has a majority interest in the ownership.
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. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future.
Insider Ownership Of Singapore Airlines
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.
Our data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Singapore Airlines Limited in their own names. Being so large, we would not expect insiders to own a large proportion of the stock. Collectively, they own S$70m of stock. It is always good to see at least some insider ownership, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.
General Public Ownership
The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 48% stake in Singapore Airlines. 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 45% stake in Singapore Airlines. 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 Singapore Airlines better, we need to consider many other factors. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Singapore Airlines (of which 1 is a bit concerning!) 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.
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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.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
