Stock Analysis

Do Directors Own Supremex Inc. (TSE:SXP) Shares?

TSX:SXP
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A look at the shareholders of Supremex Inc. (TSE:SXP) can tell us which group is most powerful. Institutions will often hold stock in bigger companies, and we expect to see insiders owning a noticeable percentage of the smaller ones. Companies that used to be publicly owned tend to have lower insider ownership.

Supremex is not a large company by global standards. It has a market capitalization of CA$65m, which means it wouldn't have the attention of many institutional investors. Our analysis of the ownership of the company, below, shows that institutions are noticeable on the share registry. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholder can tell us about Supremex.

Check out our latest analysis for Supremex

TSX:SXP Ownership Summary, January 31st 2020
TSX:SXP Ownership Summary, January 31st 2020

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Supremex?

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 Supremex does have institutional investors; and they hold 19% of the stock. 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. 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 Supremex's earnings history, below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

TSX:SXP Income Statement, January 31st 2020
TSX:SXP Income Statement, January 31st 2020

Supremex is not owned by hedge funds. Our data shows that The Jerry Zucker Revocable Trust is the largest shareholder with 20% of shares outstanding. The second largest shareholder with 11%, is Claret Asset Management Corporation, followed by Invesco Ltd., with an ownership of 3.7%.

A deeper look at our ownership data shows that the top 6 shareholders collectively hold less than 50% of the register, suggesting a large group of small holders where no one share holder 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. There is some analyst coverage of the stock, but it could still become more well known, with time.

Insider Ownership Of Supremex

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. 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.

I can report that insiders do own shares in Supremex Inc.. As individuals, the insiders collectively own CA$657k worth of the CA$65m company. This shows at least some alignment, but I usually like to see larger insider holdings. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public -- mostly retail investors -- own 61% of Supremex. With this size of ownership, retail investors can collectively play a role in decisions that affect shareholder returns, such as dividend policies and the appointment of directors. They can also exercise the power to decline an acquisition or merger that may not improve profitability.

Private Company Ownership

It seems that Private Companies own 20%, of the SXP stock. It's hard to draw any conclusions from this fact alone, so its worth looking into who owns those private companies. Sometimes insiders or other related parties have an interest in shares in a public company through a separate private 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. Take risks, for example - Supremex has 4 warning signs (and 2 which can't be ignored) we think you should know about.

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.

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.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.

About TSX:SXP

Supremex

Engages in the manufacture and markets envelopes, and paper-based packaging solutions and specialty products to corporations, resellers, government entities, small and medium sized enterprises, direct mailers, and solutions providers primarily in Canada and the United States.

Undervalued with excellent balance sheet and pays a dividend.