Who Owns Ikwezi Mining Limited (ASX:IKW)?

Today, I will be analyzing Ikwezi Mining Limited’s (ASX:IKW) recent ownership structure, an important but not-so-popular subject among individual investors. Ownership structure has been found to have an impact on shareholder returns in both short- and long-term. Different types of investors can have varying degrees of influence on a company’s management team. For example, an active institutional investor may be more likely to hold a company accountable for certain actions whereas a passive fund will move in and out of stocks without regards to corporate governance. The implications of these institutions’ actions can either benefit or hinder individual investors, so it is important to understand the ownership composition of your stock investment. Now I will analyze IKW's shareholder registry in more detail.

Check out our latest analysis for Ikwezi Mining

Institutional Ownership

Institutional investors are one of the largest group of market participants and their buy-sell decisions on a company's stock can significantly impact prices, more so, when there are relatively small amounts of shares available on the market to trade. With an institutional ownership of 9.58%, IKW doesn't seem too exposed to higher volatility resulting from institutional trading. Low coverage stocks like IKW tend to be favourite picks of legendary investor Peter Lynch, who used to cash in on the rally supported by institutional buying as the stock gained popularity.

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. IKW insiders hold a significant stake of 48.46% 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). Another aspect of insider ownership is to learn about their recent transactions. While insider buying is possibly a sign of a positive outlook for the company, selling doesn't necessarily indicate a negative outlook as they may be selling to meet personal financial needs.

General Public Ownership

The general public, with 2.79% stake, is a relatively minor group of shareholders in IKW. This size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, but they can still make a collective impact on company policies if it aligns with other large shareholders.

Private Company Ownership

Potential investors in IKW should also look at another important group of investors: private companies, with a stake of 39.17%, who are primarily invested because of strategic and capital gain interests. With this size of ownership in IKW, this ownership class can affect the company's business strategy. As a result, potential investors should further explore the company's business relations with these companies and find out if they can affect shareholder returns in the long-term.

What this means for you:

With a low level of institutional ownership, investors in IKW need not worry about non-fundamental factors such as ownership structure causing large impact on stock prices. However, ownership structure should not be the only determining factor when you’re building an investment thesis for IKW. Instead, you should be evaluating company-specific factors such as Ikwezi Mining's past track record and financial health. I highly recommend you to complete your research by taking a look at the following:

• 1. Financial Health: Is IKW’s operations financially sustainable? Balance sheets can be hard to analyze, which is why we’ve done it for you. Check out our financial health checks here.
• 2. Past Track Record: Has IKW been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of IKW's historicals for more clarity.
• 3. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.

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.