The recent pullback must have dismayed Yihai International Holding Ltd. (HKG:1579) insiders who own 47% of the company

Key Insights

• Insiders appear to have a vested interest in Yihai International Holding's growth, as seen by their sizeable ownership
• The top 3 shareholders own 53% of the company
• Institutions own 21% of Yihai International Holding

Every investor in Yihai International Holding Ltd. (HKG:1579) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. With 47% stake, individual insiders possess the maximum shares in the company. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

And last week, insiders endured the biggest losses as the stock fell by 8.0%.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Yihai International Holding.

Check out our latest analysis for Yihai International Holding

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Yihai International Holding?

Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Yihai International Holding. 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 Yihai International Holding's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Yihai International Holding. The company's largest shareholder is Yong Zhang, with ownership of 34%. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 13% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 5.5% by the third-largest shareholder. Shi Sean, who is the second-largest shareholder, also happens to hold the title of Top Key Executive.

To make our study more interesting, we found that the top 3 shareholders have a majority ownership in the company, meaning that they are powerful enough to influence the decisions 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. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Yihai International Holding

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. 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 a reasonable proportion of Yihai International Holding Ltd.. Insiders own HK$6.3b worth of shares in the HK$13b company. That's quite meaningful. Most would be pleased to see the board is investing alongside them. You may wish to access this free chart showing recent trading by insiders.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 32% stake in Yihai International Holding. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

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. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Yihai International Holding that you should be aware of before investing here.

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.