While institutions invested in Jungfraubahn Holding AG (VTX:JFN) benefited from last week's 6.4% gain, individual investors stood to gain the most

Key Insights

• The considerable ownership by individual investors in Jungfraubahn Holding indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy
• 43% of the business is held by the top 25 shareholders
• Institutional ownership in Jungfraubahn Holding is 29%

To get a sense of who is truly in control of Jungfraubahn Holding AG (VTX:JFN), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. With 56% 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).

Following a 6.4% increase in the stock price last week, individual investors profited the most, but institutions who own 29% stock also stood to gain from the increase.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Jungfraubahn Holding.

See our latest analysis for Jungfraubahn Holding

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Jungfraubahn Holding?

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.

Jungfraubahn Holding already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. 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 Jungfraubahn Holding, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Jungfraubahn Holding. Berner Kantonalbank, Asset Management Arm is currently the largest shareholder, with 14% of shares outstanding. With 4.7% and 4.4% of the shares outstanding respectively, Jsp Sicherheitsdienste and Medien- Und Unternehmungsförderungsstiftung Fers, Endowment Arm are the second and third largest shareholders. Furthermore, CEO Urs Kessler is the owner of 0.7% of the company's shares.

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.

While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. There is a little analyst coverage of the stock, but not much. So there is room for it to gain more coverage.

Insider Ownership Of Jungfraubahn Holding

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

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.

Shareholders would probably be interested to learn that insiders own shares in Jungfraubahn Holding AG. This is a big company, so it is good to see this level of alignment. Insiders own CHF60m worth of shares (at current prices). If you would like to explore the question of insider alignment, you can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public -- including retail investors -- own 56% of Jungfraubahn Holding. With this amount 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 vote on acquisitions or mergers that may not improve profitability.

Private Company Ownership

Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 9.1%, of the company's shares. 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:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Jungfraubahn Holding that you should be aware of before investing here.

Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

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.