Individual investors invested in Shanghai Amarsoft Information & Technology Co.,Ltd (SZSE:300380) copped the brunt of last week's CN¥637m market cap decline

Key Insights

• The considerable ownership by individual investors in Shanghai Amarsoft Information & TechnologyLtd indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy
• A total of 9 investors have a majority stake in the company with 50% ownership
• 20% of Shanghai Amarsoft Information & TechnologyLtd is held by insiders

A look at the shareholders of Shanghai Amarsoft Information & Technology Co.,Ltd (SZSE:300380) can tell us which group is most powerful. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 46% 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).

As market cap fell to CN¥7.2b last week, individual investors would have faced the highest losses than any other shareholder groups of the company.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Shanghai Amarsoft Information & TechnologyLtd.

View our latest analysis for Shanghai Amarsoft Information & TechnologyLtd

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Shanghai Amarsoft Information & TechnologyLtd?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

Institutions have a very small stake in Shanghai Amarsoft Information & TechnologyLtd. That indicates that the company is on the radar of some funds, but it isn't particularly popular with professional investors at the moment. If the business gets stronger from here, we could see a situation where more institutions are keen to buy. It is not uncommon to see a big share price rise if multiple institutional investors are trying to buy into a stock at the same time. So check out the historic earnings trajectory, below, but keep in mind it's the future that counts most.

Shanghai Amarsoft Information & TechnologyLtd is not owned by hedge funds. Our data shows that Shanghai Amarsoft Technology Development Co., Ltd. is the largest shareholder with 29% of shares outstanding. Yong Gao is the second largest shareholder owning 7.3% of common stock, and Ming Gao holds about 7.0% of the company stock. Yong Gao, who is the second-largest shareholder, also happens to hold the title of Chief Executive Officer.

On further inspection, we found that more than half the company's shares are owned by the top 9 shareholders, suggesting that the interests of the larger shareholders are balanced out to an extent by the smaller ones.

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. As far as we can tell there isn't analyst coverage of the company, so it is probably flying under the radar.

Insider Ownership Of Shanghai Amarsoft Information & TechnologyLtd

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 information suggests that insiders maintain a significant holding in Shanghai Amarsoft Information & Technology Co.,Ltd. Insiders own CN¥1.4b worth of shares in the CN¥7.2b company. It is great to see insiders so invested in the business. It might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 46% stake in Shanghai Amarsoft Information & TechnologyLtd. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Private Company Ownership

We can see that Private Companies own 29%, 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. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Shanghai Amarsoft Information & TechnologyLtd that you should be aware of.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

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.