Despite recent sales, Top Spring International Holdings Limited (HKG:3688) insiders still control 30% of the company

Key Insights

• Insiders appear to have a vested interest in Top Spring International Holdings' growth, as seen by their sizeable ownership
• The top 2 shareholders own 56% of the company
• Recent sales by insiders

To get a sense of who is truly in control of Top Spring International Holdings Limited (HKG:3688), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. We can see that individual insiders own the lion's share in the company with 30% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

Insiders own the top position in the company’s share registry despite recent sales and as a result, were the biggest beneficiaries of last week’s 14% gain.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Top Spring International Holdings.

See our latest analysis for Top Spring International Holdings

What Does The Lack Of Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Top Spring International 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 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. Top Spring International Holdings might not have the sort of past performance institutions are looking for, or perhaps they simply have not studied the business closely.

Top Spring International Holdings is not owned by hedge funds. The company's CEO Chun Hong Wong is the largest shareholder with 30% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 26% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 20% by the third-largest shareholder.

A more detailed study of the shareholder registry showed us that 2 of the top shareholders have a considerable amount of ownership in the company, via their 56% stake.

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. Our information suggests that there isn't any analyst coverage of the stock, so it is probably little known.

Insider Ownership Of Top Spring International Holdings

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. 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.

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 Top Spring International Holdings Limited. Insiders have a HK$256m stake in this HK$856m business. We would say this shows alignment with shareholders, but it is worth noting that the company is still quite small; some insiders may have founded the business. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 23% stake in Top Spring International Holdings. 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

Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 26%, 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.

Public Company Ownership

We can see that public companies hold 20% of the Top Spring International Holdings shares on issue. We can't be certain but it is quite possible this is a strategic stake. The businesses may be similar, or work together.

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 Top Spring International Holdings you should be aware of, and 2 of them are a bit unpleasant.

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.

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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.