Stock Analysis

Private companies among PORR AG's (VIE:POS) largest shareholders, saw gain in holdings value after stock jumped 8.0% last week

WBAG:POS
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Key Insights

  • Significant control over PORR by private companies implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions
  • The top 2 shareholders own 52% of the company
  • Analyst forecasts along with ownership data serve to give a strong idea about prospects for a business

If you want to know who really controls PORR AG (VIE:POS), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. With 56% stake, private companies possess the maximum shares in the company. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

Clearly, private companies benefitted the most after the company's market cap rose by €63m last week.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of PORR.

See our latest analysis for PORR

ownership-breakdown
WBAG:POS Ownership Breakdown February 18th 2025

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About PORR?

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.

We can see that PORR does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's 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. 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 PORR, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

earnings-and-revenue-growth
WBAG:POS Earnings and Revenue Growth February 18th 2025

PORR is not owned by hedge funds. Igo Industries Group is currently the largest shareholder, with 37% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 15% and 4.4%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

A more detailed study of the shareholder registry showed us that 2 of the top shareholders have a considerable amount of ownership in the company, via their 52% stake.

Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.

Insider Ownership Of PORR

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. 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.

We note our data does not show any board members holding shares, personally. It is unusual not to have at least some personal holdings by board members, so our data might be flawed. A good next step would be to check how much the CEO is paid.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 36% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Private Company Ownership

Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 56%, of the company's shares. It might be worth looking deeper into this. If related parties, such as insiders, have an interest in one of these private companies, that should be disclosed in the annual report. Private companies may also have a strategic interest in the company.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. Be aware that PORR is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...

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.

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Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

About WBAG:POS

PORR

Operates as a construction company in Austria, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Qatar, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Serbia, Great Britain, Slovakia, Norway, Croatia, Belgium, and internationally.

Adequate balance sheet average dividend payer.