Stock Analysis

Do Institutions Own Shares In Central Depository Services (India) Limited (NSE:CDSL)?

NSEI:CDSL
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A look at the shareholders of Central Depository Services (India) Limited (NSE:CDSL) can tell us which group is most powerful. Large companies usually have institutions as shareholders, and we usually see insiders owning shares in smaller companies. Companies that used to be publicly owned tend to have lower insider ownership.

Central Depository Services (India) is not a large company by global standards. It has a market capitalization of ₹28b, which means it wouldn't have the attention of many institutional investors. In the chart below, we can see that institutional investors have bought into the company. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholder can tell us about Central Depository Services (India).

View 1 warning sign we detected for Central Depository Services (India)

NSEI:CDSL Ownership Summary, January 13th 2020
NSEI:CDSL Ownership Summary, January 13th 2020
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What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Central Depository Services (India)?

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.

We can see that Central Depository Services (India) does have institutional investors; and they hold 30% of the stock. 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. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Central Depository Services (India), (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

NSEI:CDSL Income Statement, January 13th 2020
NSEI:CDSL Income Statement, January 13th 2020

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Central Depository Services (India). The company's largest shareholder is BSE Limited, with ownership of 20%, The second and third largest shareholders are Standard Chartered Bank, Asset Management Arm and HDFC Asset Management Company Limited, each holding around 7.2% of the shares outstanding.

We also observed that the top 7 shareholders account for 51% of the register, with a few smaller shareholders to balance the interests of the larger ones to a certain extent.

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 Central Depository Services (India)

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 Central Depository Services (India) Limited insiders own under 1% of the company. It seems the board members have no more than ₹4.4m worth of shares in the ₹28b company. Ownership is clearly an important issue when it comes to investment selection. But ultimately, many risks exist within the business itself, rather than its shareholders. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Central Depository Services (India) which any shareholder or potential investor should be aware of.

General Public Ownership

The general public holds a 36% stake in CDSL. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Public Company Ownership

We can see that public companies hold 34%, of the CDSL shares on issue. It's hard to say for sure, but this suggests they have entwined business interests. This might be a strategic stake, so it's worth watching this space for changes in ownership.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Central Depository Services (India) better, we need to consider many other factors.

Many find it useful to take an in depth look at how a company has performed in the past. You can access this detailed graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter 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.

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.