Every investor in Circle S.p.A. (BIT:CIRC) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. Insiders often own a large chunk of younger, smaller, companies while huge companies tend to have institutions as shareholders. 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.
Circle is a smaller company with a market capitalization of €9.9m, so it may still be flying under the radar 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. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about Circle.
See our latest analysis for Circle
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Circle?
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.
Circle already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own 8.3% of the company. 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 Circle’s earnings history, below. Of course, the future is what really matters.
Circle is not owned by hedge funds. With a 58% stake, CEO Luca Abatello is the largest shareholder. With such a huge stake, we infer that they have significant control of the future of the company. It’s usually considered a good sign when insiders own a significant number of shares in the company, and in this case, we’re glad to see a company insider with such skin in the game. The second and third largest shareholders are LigurCapital SpA and Capitalimpresa S.p.A., each holding around 4.4% of the shares outstanding.
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 Circle
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. 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.
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 insiders own more than half of Circle S.p.A.. This gives them effective control of the company. That means they own €6.1m worth of shares in the €9.9m company. That’s quite meaningful. Most would be pleased to see the board is investing alongside them. You may wish todiscover (for free) if they have been buying or selling.
General Public Ownership
The general public holds a 26% stake in CIRC. While this group can’t necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.
Private Company Ownership
Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 4.4%, of the company’s shares. It’s hard to draw any conclusions from this fact alone, so its worth looking into who owns those private companies. Sometimes insiders or other related parties have an interest in shares in a public company through a separate private company.
Next Steps:
It’s always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Circle better, we need to consider many other factors. Take risks, for example – Circle has 4 warning signs (and 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) we think you should know about.
If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its 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.
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