The Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Limited's (NSE:BBTC) last week's 3.9% decline must have disappointed private companies who have a significant stake

Key Insights

• Significant control over Bombay Burmah Trading by private companies implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions
• The top 2 shareholders own 52% of the company
• 10% of Bombay Burmah Trading is held by insiders

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A look at the shareholders of The Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Limited (NSE:BBTC) can tell us which group is most powerful. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are private companies with 54% ownership. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

And following last week's 3.9% decline in share price, private companies suffered the most losses.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Bombay Burmah Trading.

Check out our latest analysis for Bombay Burmah Trading

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Bombay Burmah Trading?

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.

Bombay Burmah Trading already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. 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 Bombay Burmah Trading's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Bombay Burmah Trading. Nowrosjee Wadia & Sons Limited is currently the largest shareholder, with 42% of shares outstanding. Nusli Wadia is the second largest shareholder owning 10% of common stock, and Naperol Investments Limited holds about 9.4% of the company stock.

After doing some more digging, we found that the top 2 shareholders collectively control more than half of the company's shares, implying that they have considerable power to influence the company's decisions.

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. We're not picking up on any analyst coverage of the stock at the moment, so the company is unlikely to be widely held.

Insider Ownership Of Bombay Burmah Trading

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.

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.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of The Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Limited. Insiders own ₹13b worth of shares in the ₹122b 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-- including retail investors -- own 14% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. 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

It seems that Private Companies own 54%, of the Bombay Burmah Trading stock. 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

Public companies currently own 13% of Bombay Burmah Trading stock. This may be a strategic interest and the two companies may have related business interests. It could be that they have de-merged. This holding is probably worth investigating further.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important.

I always like to check for a history of revenue growth. You can too, by accessing this free chart of historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph.

Of course this may not be the best stock to buy. Therefore, you may wish to see our free collection of interesting prospects boasting favorable financials.

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.