Foran Mining Corporation (TSE:FOM) surges 6.6%; retail investors who own 60% shares profited along with institutions

Key Insights

• The considerable ownership by retail investors in Foran Mining indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy
• The top 25 shareholders own 40% of the company
• Institutional ownership in Foran Mining is 24%

To get a sense of who is truly in control of Foran Mining Corporation (TSE:FOM), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 60% to be precise, is retail investors. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

While retail investors were the group that benefitted the most from last week’s CA$90m market cap gain, institutions too had a 24% share in those profits.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Foran Mining.

Check out our latest analysis for Foran Mining

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Foran Mining?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Foran Mining. 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 Foran Mining, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Foran Mining is not owned by hedge funds. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited with 14% of shares outstanding. With 8.5% and 2.7% of the shares outstanding respectively, Hamblin Watsa Investment Counsel Ltd. and BlackRock, Inc. are the second and third largest shareholders. Furthermore, CEO Daniel Myerson is the owner of 1.7% of the company's shares.

A deeper look at our ownership data shows that the top 25 shareholders collectively hold less than half of the register, suggesting a large group of small holders where no single shareholder has a majority.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. While there is some analyst coverage, the company is probably not widely covered. So it could gain more attention, down the track.

Insider Ownership Of Foran Mining

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.

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.

Shareholders would probably be interested to learn that insiders own shares in Foran Mining Corporation. The insiders have a meaningful stake worth CA$41m. Most would see this as a real positive. It is good to see this level of investment by insiders. You can check here to see if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

The general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, collectively holds 60% of Foran Mining shares. This level of ownership gives investors from the wider public some power to sway key policy decisions such as board composition, executive compensation, and the dividend payout ratio.

Public Company Ownership

It appears to us that public companies own 14% of Foran Mining. We can't be certain but it is quite possible this is a strategic stake. The businesses may be similar, or work together.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. To that end, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Foran Mining (including 1 which is potentially serious) .

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter 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.

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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.