Stock Analysis

Do Insiders Own Lots Of Shares In Triumph Gold Corp. (CVE:TIG)?

TSXV:TIG
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A look at the shareholders of Triumph Gold Corp. (CVE:TIG) can tell us which group is most powerful. Institutions often own shares in more established companies, while it's not unusual to see insiders own a fair bit of smaller companies. I quite like to see at least a little bit of insider ownership. As Charlie Munger said 'Show me the incentive and I will show you the outcome.

Triumph Gold is not a large company by global standards. It has a market capitalization of CA$25m, which means it wouldn't have the attention of many institutional investors. Taking a look at our data on the ownership groups (below), it's seems that institutions are noticeable on the share registry. Let's delve deeper into each type of owner, to discover more about Triumph Gold.

See our latest analysis for Triumph Gold

TSXV:TIG Ownership Summary, February 18th 2020
TSXV:TIG Ownership Summary, February 18th 2020
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What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Triumph Gold?

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.

We can see that Triumph Gold does have institutional investors; and they hold 22% of the stock. 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. 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 Triumph Gold's historic earnings and revenue, below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

TSXV:TIG Income Statement, February 18th 2020
TSXV:TIG Income Statement, February 18th 2020

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Triumph Gold. The company's largest shareholder is Palisade Global Investments Ltd, Asset Management Arm, with ownership of 14%, With 14% and 4.2% of the shares outstanding respectively, Newmont Corporation and Konwave AG are the second and third largest shareholders.

Our studies suggest that the top 10 shareholders collectively control less than 50% of the company's shares, meaning that the company's shares are widely disseminated and there is no dominant shareholder.

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. Our information suggests that there isn't any analyst coverage of the stock, so it is probably little known.

Insider Ownership Of Triumph Gold

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. 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.

Shareholders would probably be interested to learn that insiders own shares in Triumph Gold Corp.. In their own names, insiders own CA$1.3m worth of stock in the CA$25m company. 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, mostly retail investors, hold a substantial 58% stake in TIG, suggesting it is a fairly popular stock. This size of ownership gives retail investors collective power. They can and probably do influence decisions on executive compensation, dividend policies and proposed business acquisitions.

Public Company Ownership

We can see that public companies hold 14%, of the TIG shares on issue. We can't be certain, but this is quite possible this is a strategic stake. The businesses may be similar, or work together.

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. Case in point: We've spotted 6 warning signs for Triumph Gold you should be aware of, and 2 of them don't sit too well with us.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

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.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.

About TSXV:TIG

Triumph Gold

A junior natural resource company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in the Yukon Territory and British Columbia, Canada.

Excellent balance sheet moderate.

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