Stock Analysis

What Kind Of Shareholder Owns Most Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited (NZSE:FPH) Stock?

NZSE:FPH
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A look at the shareholders of Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited (NZSE:FPH) can tell us which group is most powerful. Insiders often own a large chunk of younger, smaller, companies while huge companies tend to have institutions as shareholders. Companies that used to be publicly owned tend to have lower insider ownership.

With a market capitalization of NZ$13b, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare is rather large. We'd expect to see institutional investors on the register. Companies of this size are usually well known to retail investors, too. In the chart below, we can see that institutions are noticeable on the share registry. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about Fisher & Paykel Healthcare.

View our latest analysis for Fisher & Paykel Healthcare

NZSE:FPH Ownership Summary, January 30th 2020
NZSE:FPH Ownership Summary, January 30th 2020
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What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Fisher & Paykel Healthcare?

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 Fisher & Paykel Healthcare does have institutional investors; and they hold 43% of the stock. 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. 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 Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

NZSE:FPH Income Statement, January 30th 2020
NZSE:FPH Income Statement, January 30th 2020

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare is not owned by hedge funds. JPMorgan Chase & Co, Private Banking and Investment Banking Investments is currently the largest shareholder, with 10% of shares outstanding. Next, we have Capital Research and Management Company and The Vanguard Group, Inc. as the second and third largest shareholders, holding 6.4% and 5.2%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

Our studies suggest that the top 11 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 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. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Fisher & Paykel Healthcare

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. 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 Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited insiders own under 1% of the company. It is a very large company, so it would be surprising to see insiders own a large proportion of the company. Though their holding amounts to less than 1%, we can see that board members collectively own NZ$54m worth of shares (at current prices). Arguably recent buying and selling is just as important to consider. You can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public -- mostly retail investors -- own 57% of Fisher & Paykel Healthcare. With this size of ownership, retail investors can collectively play a role in decisions that affect shareholder returns, such as dividend policies and the appointment of directors. They can also exercise the power to decline an acquisition or merger that may not improve profitability.

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.

I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can find historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph.

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.

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.