Retail investors are StorageVault Canada Inc.'s (TSE:SVI) biggest owners and were rewarded after market cap rose by CA$84m last week

Key Insights

• The considerable ownership by retail investors in StorageVault Canada indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy
• A total of 7 investors have a majority stake in the company with 51% ownership
• Insiders have bought recently

A look at the shareholders of StorageVault Canada Inc. (TSE:SVI) can tell us which group is most powerful. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 41% to be precise, is retail investors. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Clearly, retail investors benefitted the most after the company's market cap rose by CA$84m last week.

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

See our latest analysis for StorageVault Canada

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About StorageVault Canada?

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.

StorageVault Canada 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 StorageVault Canada, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in StorageVault Canada. Access Self Storage Inc. is currently the largest shareholder, with 37% of shares outstanding. With 4.7% and 2.1% of the shares outstanding respectively, Capital Research and Management Company and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. are the second and third largest shareholders.

We did some more digging and found that 7 of the top shareholders account for roughly 51% of the register, implying that along with larger shareholders, there are a few smaller shareholders, thereby balancing out each others interests somewhat.

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

Insider Ownership Of StorageVault Canada

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.

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 most recent data indicates that insiders own some shares in StorageVault Canada Inc.. As individuals, the insiders collectively own CA$19m worth of the CA$1.4b company. Some would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board. But it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 41% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. 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

Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 38%, of the company's shares. Private companies may be related parties. Sometimes insiders have an interest in a public company through a holding in a private company, rather than in their own capacity as an individual. While it's hard to draw any broad stroke conclusions, it is worth noting as an area for further research.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand StorageVault Canada better, we need to consider many other factors.

I always like to check for a history of revenue growth. You can too, by accessing this free chart of historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph.

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.