AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group Company Ltd.'s (SZSE:000768) stock price dropped 11% last week; private companies would not be happy

Key Insights

• Significant control over AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group by private companies implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions
• The top 2 shareholders own 55% of the company
• Institutions own 24% of AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group

To get a sense of who is truly in control of AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group Company Ltd. (SZSE:000768), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are private companies with 49% ownership. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

And following last week's 11% decline in share price, private companies suffered the most losses.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group.

Check out our latest analysis for AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group?

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 AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. 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. 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 AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group is not owned by hedge funds. Aviation Industry Corporation of China,Ltd. is currently the largest shareholder, with 49% of shares outstanding. The second and third largest shareholders are AVIC Capital Co., Ltd., Asset Management Arm and China Aviation Investment Co., Ltd., with an equal amount of shares to their name at 5.8%.

A more detailed study of the shareholder registry showed us that 2 of the top shareholders have a considerable amount of ownership in the company, via their 55% stake.

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 a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future.

Insider Ownership Of AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group

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.

I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions.

Our data suggests that insiders own under 1% of AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group Company Ltd. in their own names. However, it's possible that insiders might have an indirect interest through a more complex structure. It is a very large company, so it would be surprising to see insiders own a large proportion of the company. Though their holding amounts to less than 1%, we can see that board members collectively own CN¥16m worth of shares (at current prices). It is always good to see at least some insider ownership, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 27% 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.

Private Company Ownership

Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 49%, of the company's shares. Private companies may be related parties. Sometimes insiders have an interest in a public company through a holding in a private company, rather than in their own capacity as an individual. While it's hard to draw any broad stroke conclusions, it is worth noting as an area for further research.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group better, we need to consider many other factors.

I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can find historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph.

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.

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

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.