Kuehne + Nagel International AG (VTX:KNIN) stock most popular amongst private companies who own 55%, while individual investors hold 28%

Key Insights

• Kuehne + Nagel International's significant private companies ownership suggests that the key decisions are influenced by shareholders from the larger public
• 55% of the company is held by a single shareholder (Kühne Holding AG)
• 17% of Kuehne + Nagel International is held by Institutions

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To get a sense of who is truly in control of Kuehne + Nagel International AG (VTX:KNIN), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 55% to be precise, is private companies. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

Individual investors, on the other hand, account for 28% of the company's stockholders.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Kuehne + Nagel International.

See our latest analysis for Kuehne + Nagel International

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Kuehne + Nagel International?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

Kuehne + Nagel International 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. 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 Kuehne + Nagel International's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Kuehne + Nagel International is not owned by hedge funds. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is Kühne Holding AG with 55% of shares outstanding. With such a huge stake in the ownership, we infer that they have significant control of the future of the company. With 3.1% and 2.6% of the shares outstanding respectively, UBS Asset Management AG and BlackRock, Inc. are the second and third largest shareholders.

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. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Kuehne + Nagel International

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. 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.

Our data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Kuehne + Nagel International AG in their own names. But they may have an indirect interest through a corporate structure that we haven't picked up on. Being so large, we would not expect insiders to own a large proportion of the stock. Collectively, they own CHF18m of stock. It is good to see board members owning shares, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying.

General Public Ownership

With a 28% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Kuehne + Nagel International. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Private Company Ownership

We can see that Private Companies own 55%, of the shares on issue. It might be worth looking deeper into this. If related parties, such as insiders, have an interest in one of these private companies, that should be disclosed in the annual report. Private companies may also have a strategic interest in the 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. Take risks for example - Kuehne + Nagel International has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

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.