Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries S.A.'s (ATH:MOH) stock price dropped 3.4% last week; private companies would not be happy

Key Insights

• Significant control over Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries by private companies implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions
• The top 4 shareholders own 51% of the company
• Institutional ownership in Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries is 18%

A look at the shareholders of Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries S.A. (ATH:MOH) can tell us which group is most powerful. With 47% stake, private companies possess the maximum shares in the company. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

And last week, private companies endured the biggest losses as the stock fell by 3.4%.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries, beginning with the chart below.

Check out our latest analysis for Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries?

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.

Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. 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. 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 Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries' earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries is not owned by hedge funds. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is Petroventure Holdings Ltd with 41% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 5.2% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 2.7% by the third-largest shareholder.

On looking further, we found that 51% of the shares are owned by the top 4 shareholders. In other words, these shareholders have a meaningful say in the decisions of the company.

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 are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.

Insider Ownership Of Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries

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. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves.

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 less than 1% of Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries S.A.. However, it's possible that insiders might have an indirect interest through a more complex structure. It's a big company, so even a small proportional interest can create alignment between the board and shareholders. In this case insiders own €13m worth of shares. It is good to see board members owning shares, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying.

General Public Ownership

With a 35% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries. 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 47%, 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:

I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries you should be aware of, and 2 of them don't sit too well with us.

Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

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