New East New Materials Co., Ltd's (SHSE:603110) market cap rose CN¥187m last week; individual investors who hold 52% profited and so did insiders

Key Insights

• New East New Materials' significant individual investors ownership suggests that the key decisions are influenced by shareholders from the larger public
• A total of 17 investors have a majority stake in the company with 48% ownership
• Insider ownership in New East New Materials is 39%

If you want to know who really controls New East New Materials Co., Ltd (SHSE:603110), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 52% to be precise, is individual investors. 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 11% price gain, insiders also received a 39% cut.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of New East New Materials, beginning with the chart below.

Check out our latest analysis for New East New Materials

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About New East New Materials?

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.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in New East New Materials. 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 New East New Materials' earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in New East New Materials. Guangbin Xu is currently the company's largest shareholder with 27% of shares outstanding. With 8.8% and 4.7% of the shares outstanding respectively, Zhu Fei and Shanghai Orient Securities Capital Investment Co., Ltd. are the second and third largest shareholders.

On studying our ownership data, we found that 17 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. We're not picking up on any analyst coverage of the stock at the moment, so the company is unlikely to be widely held.

Insider Ownership Of New East New Materials

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. 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 most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of New East New Materials Co., Ltd. It has a market capitalization of just CN¥1.9b, and insiders have CN¥736m worth of shares in their own names. This may suggest that the founders still own a lot of shares. You can click here to see if they have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a substantial 52% stake in New East New Materials, suggesting it is a fairly popular stock. 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.

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 - New East New Materials has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

Of course this may not be the best stock to buy. Therefore, you may wish to see our free collection of interesting prospects boasting favorable financials.

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.