Public companies are Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores S.A.'s (SNSE:VAPORES) biggest owners and were rewarded after market cap rose by CL$309b last week

Key Insights

• Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores' significant public companies ownership suggests that the key decisions are influenced by shareholders from the larger public
• 66% of the company is held by a single shareholder (Quiñenco S.A.)
• Institutions own 13% of Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores

Every investor in Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores S.A. (SNSE:VAPORES) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. We can see that public companies own the lion's share in the company with 66% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

As a result, public companies collectively scored the highest last week as the company hit CL$3.8t market cap following a 8.9% gain in the stock.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores.

See our latest analysis for Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores?

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.

We can see that Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores 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. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores' historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is Quiñenco S.A. with 66% of shares outstanding. With such a huge stake in the ownership, we infer that they have significant control of the future of the company. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 6.1% and 1.4% of the stock.

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 some analyst coverage of the stock, but it could still become more well known, with time.

Insider Ownership Of Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores

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.

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 cannot confirm that board members are holding shares personally. Not all jurisdictions have the same rules around disclosing insider ownership, and it is possible we have missed something, here. So you can click here learn more about the CEO.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 21% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Public Company Ownership

Public companies currently own 66% of Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores stock. This may be a strategic interest and the two companies may have related business interests. It could be that they have de-merged. This holding is probably worth investigating further.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. To that end, you should be aware of the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores .

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com