Private companies are China Merchants Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust's (HKG:1503) biggest owners and were hit after market cap dropped HK$338m

Key Insights

• Significant control over China Merchants Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust by private companies implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions
• 61% of the business is held by the top 3 shareholders
• Institutional ownership in China Merchants Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust is 15%

Every investor in China Merchants Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust (HKG:1503) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 48% to be precise, is private companies. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

And following last week's 18% decline in share price, private companies suffered the most losses.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about China Merchants Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust.

View our latest analysis for China Merchants Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About China Merchants Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust?

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.

We can see that China Merchants Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. 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 China Merchants Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in China Merchants Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust. China Merchants Group Limited is currently the largest shareholder, with 35% of shares outstanding. The second and third largest shareholders are Pacific Asset Management Co., Ltd. and K.Wah Group, with an equal amount of shares to their name at 13%.

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. There is a little analyst coverage of the stock, but not much. So there is room for it to gain more coverage.

Insider Ownership Of China Merchants Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions.

We note our data does not show any board members holding shares, personally. It is rare to see such a low level of personal ownership, amongst the board (and it is possible that our data might be incomplete). Concerned investors should check here to see if insiders have been selling or buying.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 37% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. 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

We can see that Private Companies own 48%, of the shares on issue. It's hard to draw any conclusions from this fact alone, so its worth looking into who owns those private companies. Sometimes insiders or other related parties have an interest in shares in a public company through a separate private company.

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. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with China Merchants Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust (at least 2 which shouldn't be ignored) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

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.