Insiders hold 41% of Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP), and they've been buying recently

Key Insights

• Saputo's significant insider ownership suggests inherent interests in company's expansion
• A total of 4 investors have a majority stake in the company with 53% ownership
• Recent purchases by insiders

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Every investor in Saputo Inc. (TSE:SAP) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 41% to be precise, is individual insiders. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

It's interesting to note that insiders have been buying shares recently. This could be interpreted as insiders anticipating a rise in stock prices in the near future.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Saputo, beginning with the chart below.

Check out our latest analysis for Saputo

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Saputo?

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.

Saputo already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. 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 Saputo, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Saputo. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is Emanuele Saputo with 39% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 5.6% and 4.7%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

On looking further, we found that 53% of the shares are owned by the top 4 shareholders. In other words, these shareholders have a meaningful say in 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. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future.

Insider Ownership Of Saputo

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves.

Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of Saputo Inc.. It has a market capitalization of just CA$16b, and insiders have CA$6.5b worth of shares in their own names. That's quite significant. Most would say this shows a good degree of alignment with shareholders, especially in a company of this size. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 29% stake in Saputo. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Saputo better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Saputo 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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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.