Insiders still control 50% of Regis Healthcare Limited (ASX:REG) despite recent sales

Key Insights

• Insiders appear to have a vested interest in Regis Healthcare's growth, as seen by their sizeable ownership
• A total of 3 investors have a majority stake in the company with 56% ownership
• Insiders have been selling lately

If you want to know who really controls Regis Healthcare Limited (ASX:REG), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 50% to be precise, is individual insiders. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

Insiders are at the top of the company's shareholdings despite selling some shares recently. As a result, they were also the biggest winners as market cap hit AU$1.3b last week.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Regis Healthcare.

See our latest analysis for Regis Healthcare

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Regis Healthcare?

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 Regis Healthcare 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. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Regis Healthcare's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Regis Healthcare is not owned by hedge funds. Ian Roberts is currently the largest shareholder, with 27% of shares outstanding. Bryan Dorman is the second largest shareholder owning 21% of common stock, and Cooper Investors Pty Limited holds about 7.8% of the company stock.

A more detailed study of the shareholder registry showed us that 3 of the top shareholders have a considerable amount of ownership in the company, via their 56% stake.

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. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.

Insider Ownership Of Regis Healthcare

The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

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.

It seems that insiders own more than half the Regis Healthcare Limited stock. This gives them a lot of power. Given it has a market cap of AU$1.3b, that means they have AU$675m worth of shares. Most would argue this is a positive, showing strong alignment with shareholders. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

With a 28% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Regis Healthcare. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

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. Be aware that Regis Healthcare is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis , you should know about...

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.

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.