Bleecker Société Anonyme's (EPA:BLEE) Chairman of Management Board Muriel Marcilhacy-Giraud is the most upbeat insider, and their holdings increased by 12% last week

Key Insights

• Significant insider control over Bleecker Société Anonyme implies vested interests in company growth
• The top 3 shareholders own 55% of the company
• Using data from company's past performance alongside ownership research, one can better assess the future performance of a company

A look at the shareholders of Bleecker Société Anonyme (EPA:BLEE) can tell us which group is most powerful. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 70% to be precise, is individual insiders. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

As a result, insiders scored the highest last week as the company hit €183m market cap following a 12% gain in the stock.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Bleecker Société Anonyme.

View our latest analysis for Bleecker Société Anonyme

What Does The Lack Of Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Bleecker Société Anonyme?

Institutional investors often avoid companies that are too small, too illiquid or too risky for their tastes. But it's unusual to see larger companies without any institutional investors.

There are many reasons why a company might not have any institutions on the share registry. It may be hard for institutions to buy large amounts of shares, if liquidity (the amount of shares traded each day) is low. If the company has not needed to raise capital, institutions might lack the opportunity to build a position. On the other hand, it's always possible that professional investors are avoiding a company because they don't think it's the best place for their money. Institutional investors may not find the historic growth of the business impressive, or there might be other factors at play. You can see the past revenue performance of Bleecker Société Anonyme, for yourself, below.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Bleecker Société Anonyme. Because actions speak louder than words, we consider it a good sign when insiders own a significant stake in a company. In Bleecker Société Anonyme's case, its Chairman of Management Board, Muriel Marcilhacy-Giraud, is the largest shareholder, holding 19% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 19% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 17% by the third-largest shareholder. Interestingly, the second-largest shareholder, Philippe Bucheton is also Chief Executive Officer, again, pointing towards strong insider ownership amongst the company's top shareholders.

A more detailed study of the shareholder registry showed us that 3 of the top shareholders have a considerable amount of ownership in the company, via their 55% stake.

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 Bleecker Société Anonyme

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. 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.

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.

It seems that insiders own more than half the Bleecker Société Anonyme stock. This gives them a lot of power. That means they own €128m worth of shares in the €183m company. That's quite meaningful. Most would be pleased to see the board is investing alongside them. You may wish todiscover (for free) if they have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

With a 14% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Bleecker Société Anonyme. 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 16%, of the company's shares. 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. Be aware that Bleecker Société Anonyme is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those makes us a bit uncomfortable...

If you would prefer check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, backed by strong financial data.

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.