After the recent decline, China Nature Energy Technology Holdings Limited (HKG:1597) Top Key Executive Liquan Cheng's holdings have lost 25% of their value

Key Insights

• Insiders appear to have a vested interest in China Nature Energy Technology Holdings' growth, as seen by their sizeable ownership
• Liquan Cheng owns 75% of the company
• Using data from company's past performance alongside ownership research, one can better assess the future performance of a company

If you want to know who really controls China Nature Energy Technology Holdings Limited (HKG:1597), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are individual insiders with 75% ownership. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

As a result, insiders as a group endured the highest losses after market cap fell by HK$290m.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about China Nature Energy Technology Holdings.

View our latest analysis for China Nature Energy Technology Holdings

What Does The Lack Of Institutional Ownership Tell Us About China Nature Energy Technology Holdings?

Small companies that are not very actively traded often lack institutional investors, but it's less common to see large companies without them.

There are multiple explanations for why institutions don't own a stock. The most common is that the company is too small relative to funds under management, so the institution does not bother to look closely at the company. Alternatively, there might be something about the company that has kept institutional investors away. 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 China Nature Energy Technology Holdings, for yourself, below.

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in China Nature Energy Technology Holdings. Our data suggests that Liquan Cheng, who is also the company's Top Key Executive, holds the most number of shares at 75%. When an insider holds a sizeable amount of a company's stock, investors consider it as a positive sign because it suggests that insiders are willing to have their wealth tied up in the future of the company.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. 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 China Nature Energy Technology Holdings

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. 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.

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.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own the majority of China Nature Energy Technology Holdings Limited. This means they can collectively make decisions for the company. That means they own HK$664m worth of shares in the HK$885m company. That's quite meaningful. It is good to see this level of investment. You can check here to see if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 25% stake in China Nature Energy Technology Holdings. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand China Nature Energy Technology Holdings better, we need to consider many other factors. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for China Nature Energy Technology Holdings you should be aware of.

Of course this may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free 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.

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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.