individual investors who own 54% along with institutions invested in ams-OSRAM AG (VTX:AMS) saw increase in their holdings value last week

Key Insights

• ams-OSRAM's significant individual investors ownership suggests that the key decisions are influenced by shareholders from the larger public
• The top 25 shareholders own 41% of the company
• Institutions own 46% of ams-OSRAM

We've discovered 1 warning sign about ams-OSRAM. View them for free.

Every investor in ams-OSRAM AG (VTX:AMS) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. With 54% stake, individual investors possess the maximum shares in the company. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

While individual investors were the group that reaped the most benefits after last week’s 16% price gain, institutions also received a 46% cut.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of ams-OSRAM.

View our latest analysis for ams-OSRAM

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About ams-OSRAM?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

ams-OSRAM already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. 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 ams-OSRAM, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

ams-OSRAM is not owned by hedge funds. UBS Asset Management AG is currently the company's largest shareholder with 6.8% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 6.1% and 3.9%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

On studying our ownership data, we found that 25 of the top shareholders collectively own less than 50% of the share register, implying that no single individual has a majority interest.

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 ams-OSRAM

The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. 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 data suggests that insiders own under 1% of ams-OSRAM AG in their own names. It seems the board members have no more than CHF190k worth of shares in the CHF687m company. We generally like to see a board more invested. However it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying.

General Public Ownership

The general public -- including retail investors -- own 54% of ams-OSRAM. This size of ownership gives investors from the general public some collective power. They can and probably do influence decisions on executive compensation, dividend policies and proposed business acquisitions.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand ams-OSRAM better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with ams-OSRAM .

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.