Stock Analysis

Who Are Platinum Investment Management Limited's (ASX:PTM) Major Shareholders?

ASX:PTM
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I am going to take a deep dive into Platinum Investment Management Limited’s (ASX:PTM) most recent ownership structure, not a frequent subject of discussion among individual investors. Ownership structure has been found to have an impact on shareholder returns in both short- and long-term. The effect of an active institutional investor with a similar ownership as a passive pension-fund can be vastly different on a company's corporate governance and accountability to shareholders. While this may be more interesting for long-term investors, short-term investors can also benefit by paying attention to when these institutions trade in order to take advantage of the heightened volatility. Therefore, it is beneficial for us to examine PTM's ownership structure in more detail.

View our latest analysis for Platinum Investment Management
ASX:PTM Ownership_summary Mar 12th 18
ASX:PTM Ownership_summary Mar 12th 18

Institutional Ownership

Due to the big order sizes of institutional investors, a company's shares can experience large, one-sided momentum, driven by high volume of shares removed from, or injected into, the market. With an institutional ownership of 8.18%, PTM doesn't seem too exposed to higher volatility resulting from institutional trading. PTM is covered by more than three analysts. This leaves few reasons on why institutions wouldn't have discovered the company.

Insider Ownership

Insiders form another group of important ownership types as they manage the company's operations and decide the best use of capital. Insider ownership has been linked to better alignment between management and shareholders. PTM insiders hold a significant stake of 59.15% in the company. This level of insider ownership has been found to have a negative impact on companies with consistently low PE ratios (underperformers), while it has been positive in the case of high PE ratio firms (outperformers). It's also interesting to learn what PTM insiders have been doing with their shareholdings lately. Insider buying may be a sign of upbeat future expectations, however, selling doesn't necessarily mean the opposite as insiders may be motivated by their personal financial needs.
ASX:PTM Insider_trading Mar 12th 18
ASX:PTM Insider_trading Mar 12th 18

General Public Ownership

The general public holds a substantial 31.09% stake in PTM, making it a highly popular stock among retail investors. With this size of ownership, retail investors can collectively play a role in major company policies that affect shareholders returns, including executive remuneration and the appointment of directors. They can also exercise the power to decline an acquisition or merger that may not improve profitability.

Private Company Ownership

Another group of owners that a potential investor in PTM should consider are private companies, with a stake of 1.57%. While they invest more often due to strategic interests, an investment can also be driven by capital gains through share price appreciation. However, an ownership of this size may be relatively insignificant, meaning that these shareholders may not have the potential to influence PTM's business strategy. Thus, investors not need worry too much about the consequences of these holdings.

Next Steps:

Institutional ownership in PTM is not at a level that would concern investors. We are less likely to see sustained downtrends or significant volatility resulting from large institutional trading. However, ownership structure should not be the only focus of your research when constructing an investment thesis around PTM. Instead, you should be evaluating company-specific factors such as the intrinsic valuation, which is a key driver of Platinum Investment Management’s share price. I highly recommend you to complete your research by taking a look at the following:

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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Simply Wall St analyst Simply Wall St and Simply Wall St have no position in any of the companies mentioned. This article 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.