Every investor in Matinas BioPharma Holdings, Inc. (NYSEMKT:MTNB) 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 generally like to see some degree of insider ownership, even if only a little. As Nassim Nicholas Taleb said, ‘Don’t tell me what you think, tell me what you have in your portfolio.
Matinas BioPharma Holdings is a smaller company with a market capitalization of US$291m, so it may still be flying under the radar of many institutional investors. In the chart below, we can see that institutions own shares in the company. Let’s delve deeper into each type of owner, to discover more about Matinas BioPharma Holdings.
View our latest analysis for Matinas BioPharma Holdings
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Matinas BioPharma Holdings?
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.
As you can see, institutional investors own 13% of Matinas BioPharma Holdings. 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 Matinas BioPharma Holdings, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.
We note that hedge funds don’t have a meaningful investment in Matinas BioPharma Holdings. Tavistock Life Sciences is currently the largest shareholder, with 5.2% of shares outstanding. With 3.5% and 2.7% of the shares outstanding respectively, Vivo Capital, LLC and The Vanguard Group, Inc. are the second and third largest shareholders.
A deeper look at our ownership data shows that the top 19 shareholders collectively hold less than 50% of the register, suggesting a large group of small holders where no one share holder has a majority.
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 Matinas BioPharma Holdings
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.
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.
I can report that insiders do own shares in Matinas BioPharma Holdings, Inc.. It has a market capitalization of just US$291m, and insiders have US$17m worth of shares, in their own names. This shows at least some alignment. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.
General Public Ownership
The general public, mostly retail investors, hold a substantial 75% stake in MTNB, suggesting it is a fairly popular stock. This level of ownership gives retail investors the power to sway key policy decisions such as board composition, executive compensation, and the dividend payout ratio.
Private Equity Ownership
With a stake of 5.2%, private equity firms could influence the MTNB board. 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:
While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. For example, we’ve discovered 4 warning signs for Matinas BioPharma Holdings (1 shouldn’t be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
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.
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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