Stock Analysis

Do Institutions Own XXL Energy Corp. (CVE:XL) Shares?

TSXV:XL
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The big shareholder groups in XXL Energy Corp. (CVE:XL) have power over the company. Institutions will often hold stock in bigger companies, and we expect to see insiders owning a noticeable percentage of the smaller ones. Warren Buffett said that he likes "a business with enduring competitive advantages that is run by able and owner-oriented people." So it's nice to see some insider ownership, because it may suggest that management is owner-oriented.

With a market capitalization of CA$943k, XXL Energy is a small cap stock, so it might not be well known by many institutional investors. In the chart below, we can see that institutions are not on the share registry. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholder can tell us about XXL Energy.

See our latest analysis for XXL Energy

TSXV:XL Ownership Summary, March 20th 2020
TSXV:XL Ownership Summary, March 20th 2020
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What Does The Lack Of Institutional Ownership Tell Us About XXL Energy?

We don't tend to see institutional investors holding stock of companies that are very risky, thinly traded, or very small. Though we do sometimes see large companies without institutions on the register, it's not particularly common.

There could be various reasons why no institutions own shares in a company. Typically, small, newly listed companies don't attract much attention from fund managers, because it would not be possible for large fund managers to build a meaningful position in the company. It is also possible that fund managers don't own the stock because they aren't convinced it will perform well. Institutional investors may not find the historic growth of the business impressive, or there might be other factors at play. You can see the past revenue performance of XXL Energy, for yourself, below.

TSXV:XL Income Statement, March 20th 2020
TSXV:XL Income Statement, March 20th 2020

Hedge funds don't have many shares in XXL Energy. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is the CEO John Hislop with 32% of shares outstanding. With 16% and 2.6% of the shares outstanding respectively, Mark Wolverton and 1142983 BC Ltd are the second and third largest shareholders.

Further, we found that the top 3 shareholders have a combined ownership of 50% in the company, meaning that they are powerful enough to influence the decisions of the company.

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. As far I can tell there isn't analyst coverage of the company, so it is probably flying under the radar.

Insider Ownership Of XXL Energy

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.

Our information suggests that insiders maintain a significant holding in XXL Energy Corp.. Insiders have a CA$447k stake in this CA$943k business. I would say this shows alignment with shareholders, but it is worth noting that the company is still quite small; some insiders may have founded the business. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public holds a 49% stake in XL. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.

Private Company Ownership

It seems that Private Companies own 4.0%, of the XL stock. 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:

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. For example, we've discovered 5 warning signs for XXL Energy (3 don't sit too well with us!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

If you would prefer check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, backed by strong financial data.

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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