Banque Cantonale du Jura SA's (VTX:BCJ) biggest owners are state or government who got richer after stock soared 11% last week

Key Insights

• The considerable ownership by state or government in Banque Cantonale du Jura indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy
• 56% of the company is held by a single shareholder (République et Canton du Jura)
• Institutional ownership in Banque Cantonale du Jura is 21%

If you want to know who really controls Banque Cantonale du Jura SA (VTX:BCJ), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. We can see that state or government own the lion's share in the company with 56% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

As a result, state or government collectively scored the highest last week as the company hit CHF169m market cap following a 11% gain in the stock.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Banque Cantonale du Jura, beginning with the chart below.

View our latest analysis for Banque Cantonale du Jura

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Banque Cantonale du Jura?

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 Banque Cantonale du Jura does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. 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 Banque Cantonale du Jura, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Banque Cantonale du Jura. République et Canton du Jura is currently the largest shareholder, with 56% of shares outstanding. This essentially means that they have extensive influence, if not outright control, over the future of the corporation. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 7.9% and 7.6%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

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. We're not picking up on any analyst coverage of the stock at the moment, so the company is unlikely to be widely held.

Insider Ownership Of Banque Cantonale du Jura

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.

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 Banque Cantonale du Jura SA insiders own under 1% of the company. It has a market capitalization of just CHF169m, and the board has only CHF93k worth of shares in their own names. Many tend to prefer to see a board with bigger shareholdings. A good next step might be to take a look at this free summary of insider buying and selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 23% stake in Banque Cantonale du Jura. 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 Banque Cantonale du Jura better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Banque Cantonale du Jura that you should be aware of.

Of course this may not be the best stock to buy. Therefore, you may wish to see our free collection of interesting prospects boasting favorable financials.

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.